Cover Date: 1987
Story: Alan Moore, Michael Carlin, Kurt Busiek, Richard Bruning, Joey Cavalieri, and John Byrne
Pencils: Joe Staton, Bill Willingham, Paris Cullins, J. L. García-Lopez, Kevin Nowlan, Greg Brooks, and John Byrne
Inks: Terry Austin, Craig Russell, Joe Rubenstein, Kevin Nowlan, Bruce Patterson, and Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover: Joe Staton and Bruce Patterson
Katma Tui relates to the Guardians her choice of a Green Lantern in the Obsidian Deeps, while Shingo-Wol fights his final battle between two warring races. On the planet Veltre, their Green Lantern is worshipped as a god, much to his chagrin. The people learn the truth when other Lanterns arrive to help stabilize the planet’s core, but the populace still wants the Green Lantern to stay. Meanwhile, the Zymians have called for help, and Ahtier answers. A raider’s ship explodes, mortally wounding the pregnant Green Lantern, but the ring chooses a native as her successor. The native blames Ahtier’s negligence for her husband’s death, but agrees to adopt her now-orphaned child. Next, a Green Lantern is killed in the desert by a yellow power beam, and an alien redneck finds the ring. Discovering that it’s practically useless for his needs, he callously tosses it aside. In the final tale, a Green Lantern preparing for retirement is sent to a new world by the Guardians to find a successor. He discovers that floating puffballs all over the planet comprise a hive mind, and he merges himself and his power battery with them. This sector becomes one of the safest in the universe…as it’s now patrolled by over a billion Green Lanterns!
This issue introduced many new Green Lanterns, but the most memorable is Rot Lop Fan. The very idea of a blind Green Lantern is unique in and of itself, but one where the character had no concept of light whatsoever? You’d think that could never work, but Alan Moore’s tale is a solid one.
Also deserving special mention is the “redneck” story, “Yellow Fever.” It was great because it contained no speech or sound effects, and the art by Greg Brooks had to carry the story on its own. The light humor against the backdrop of a dead Lantern actually worked quite well!
You’ll also notice that most of these new Lanterns are unnamed. Some received names later on (like Bruun, who adopted the child), but the stories actually carry more weight when you don’t know their true identities. They’re Green Lanterns first and foremost, and that’s really all that matters.
I do love Rot Lop Fan’s introduction, of course, but my other favorite story here is “Many Are Called…”, the one with the puffballs. The thought of a collective intelligence made up of over a billion Green Lantern “cells” spread out over such a massive area is fascinating, and it conveniently wouldn’t break the rule of one Green Lantern per sector. I would’ve loved to see the creators do more with this concept, especially in later crossovers.
I miss these old tales of unique Lanterns; we never kind that kind of creativity anymore. We get rehashed tough-guy aliens and other stereotypes, and that’s about it. The stories really cover some interesting ground in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #3, and the vastly different art styles in each make them even more memorable. You’d be wise to pick up a copy.
