The Green Lantern Rings are Going Rogue

Screen Rant

The Green Lantern Rings are Going Completely Rogue

By Thomas Bacon

Published Jul 4, 2018

A new epic begins with DC's Green Lanterns watching as their Rings betray them - already leading to one death, and it won't be the last.

Warning: SPOILERS for Green Lanterns #50

Green Lanterns #50 has launched a shocking new story, with the Green Lantern rings themselves apparently corrupted by "Evil's Might." The issue opens with Corps Leader John Stewart himself going missing, after his ring refuses to call for reinforcements.

The Green Lantern rings were originally intended to be simple weapons, tools that amplified a Lantern's willpower into powerful attacks. Over time, though, they've become something far more. A ring is a Green Lantern's partner and confidante, an adviser and guide. That's particular true of Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, one of the two stars of the current Green Lanterns series.

And that's what makes the current arc so shocking.

The opening scene of Issue #50 reveals that John Stewart's ring is apparently malfunctioning. When John is overwhelmed by a mysterious enemy, his ring refuses to send out a Mayday. Instead, it sends a simple message back to the Guardians; "Lantern Stewart reports threat resolved. Status: secure." It doesn't take the Green Lanterns long to realize their Corps Leader has gone missing, of course, and soon they've started trying to hunt him down. By the end of the issue, though, it's clear the tragedy is only going to escalate.

A Green Lantern is dead, and the rings are turning the Lanterns against one another.

Writer Dan Jurgens has spent the last two years writing Action Comics, but has now traded in his cape for a power ring. His first plot promises to be a spectacular one, with the Green Lanterns manipulated and betrayed by the very power rings they unquestionably wield. The opening scene of the issue teases that this nightmare springs from something far more dangerous, some sort of impurity inside the Power Battery itself. If that's the case, the most likely culprit is Parallax - a demonic fear entity that was trapped within the Power Battery for millennia. Parallax is one of the Corps' most dangerous enemies, even possessing Hal Jordan for a time.

Jurgen's first issue is a strong one, although he does seem to be struggling to make the characters feel recognizable; Jessica Cruz feels ever-so-slightly out of character. That's a shame, given her battle with anxiety has been one of the strongest character arcs in modern comics; hopefully as Jurgen's run continues, he'll develop a strong sense of Jessica's voice.

That problem is diminished a little in that Jurgens seems to intend to use the entire Green Lantern Corps as secondary characters, rather than continue focusing on Jessica and her partner Simon Baz's adventures on Earth.

More: General Zod Declares War on DC's Green Lantern Corps

Green Lanterns #50 is on sale now from DC Comics and ComiXology.