Fandom in Context: In Blackest Night, Green Lantern Fans Hope For A Brighter Day

Green Lantern isn't the most popular superhero in the world. It probably not in the top 10. This isn't surprising. For one thing, we didn't even specify ‌which Green Lantern we're talking about. The mythology, down to the name "Green Lantern," is confusing because "Green Lantern" is more of a job title than a superhero alias. Hal Jordan, the most famous Lantern, wasn't even the first. Alan Scott preceded him. There's also John Stewart, Jessica Cruz, Guy Gardner and the thousands of other Green Lantern Corps members. Green Lantern doesn't have that grab-an-issue ease of entry that makes Batman and Wonder Woman appealing. Absent from the current slate of DC movie titles, Green Lantern appears only as Easter eggs in Justice League and Man of Steel. Most blame a failed solo movie from the early-2010s for the Lantern's disappearance. However, with a new TV series coming to HBO Max from the architects of the CW's popular "Arrowverse," there's plenty to be excited about. But fans aren't getting ahead of themselves. They've waited 80s years for a proper adaptation. They can wait-and-see a little longer.

Green Lantern is one of America's oldest superheroes. DC Comics debuted the first iteration, railroad engineer Alan Scott, in All American Comics in 1940. His is a pretty basic early superhero story. Scott finds a magic lantern, which he fashions into a ring and uses its powers to fight crime. The catch is, he has to charge on the ring on the lantern every 24 hours. It was a modest yet short-lived success as the bottom dropped out of superhero comics within a decade. DC canceled the book 1949. Roughly 10 years later, writer Julius Schwartz revived Lantern with Hal Jordan. Much of the story was the same (magic ring with awful battery life), except Schwartz gave the book a harder science fiction slant. In Schwartz's reboot, a dying alien gifts Jordan the magic ring, initiating him in the order of intergalactic space cops: "The Green Lantern Corps." The science-fiction edge turned the Green Lantern's world into an expanding universe. Over the next half-century, DC's writers filled that universe with a seemingly infinite cast of characters. There are Red Lanterns, Black Lanterns, White Lanterns, Blue Lanterns; seven Lantern designations in total relating to the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum laid out in the Book of Oa (obviously). There's Green Lantern's most infamous villain Sinestro, who tricks everyone into thinking he's good, despite just looking straight-up like Satan. And of course, there are numerous titular Green Lanterns. With so much going on, it's easy to see why a live-action series or film has been hard to get off the ground.

But Green Lantern fans love it. The complexity of the universe is the key to Green Lantern's success. "I just really fell in love with the character and infinite possibilities of Green Lantern," says Naaim Siddiqi, webmaster of theGreenLanternCorps.com, a fansite he's worked on for over a decade. "Unlike Batman or Superman, he doesn't just stay on Earth, he's the protector of an entire space sector. And there are thousands like him who patrol the whole galaxy." Green Lantern's expansive universe makes room for all types of stories and heroes, both on and off Earth.

Green Lantern gives fans a massive playground. For cosplayers, especially, the title grants a wealth of opportunities. "I enjoy that each Corps has its own color, symbol and oath, says Sara Moni, a cosplayer from Phoenix. "So even though they are all power ring users, each group is very different. Each Lantern themselves interprets the Corps differently." Moni says that she enjoys showcasing "characters who are often obscure or underrepresented." The Green Lantern universe is made exclusively of those obscure characters. But it wasn't always this way. In the 2000s, the Green Lantern was a big deal. In 2002 and 2003, it became the first comic to win two consecutive GLAAD awards. Judd Winick's storyline "Hate Crime" dealt with an attack on Green Lantern Kyle Rayner's assistant, the openly gay character Terry, and sparked a conversation about LGBTQ+ representation in comics. Later that decade, writer and future DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns' run on the title made it one of DC's top sellers. After the lukewarm reception to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, Green Lantern was now playing number two to Batman. At the time, DC was wrapping up Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and they wanted an MCU of their own, so it almost made sense to start the DC cinematic universe with Green Lantern. In 2010, Martin Campbell's Green Lantern movie attempted to launch DC's extended universe. It was an attempt to create DC's Iron Man, an Octomom of numerous franchises. But DC bit off more than they could chew with trying to adapt the large and expansive universe. There was simply too much for casual audiences, and fans recognize this dilemma. "The community is made of Green Lantern fans, who are passionate enough about the series to post their favorite merch, comic collections, and so forth," says red_lantern, a mod on the /r/GreenLantern subreddit. "Lots of us know that representing the Green Lantern in major media is a tough ask. Who do you adapt? How do you do a group movie (like the Green Lantern Corps) justice in two hours? How would you even pick one without alienating fans of another? It's tough."

Infamously, the movie flopped. Ryan Reynolds made jokes about it in ‌Deadpool, fans mocked the CGI suit and DC moved on. Not all fans hate the movie, though. Lon Strickland, the founder of "Green Lantern Movie Appreciation Society" Facebook group says the movie has its merits. "With the unreasonable level of hate the movie received from mainstream media and Ryan Reynolds himself, it felt necessary to defend it," says Strickland. "The movie, while not perfect, is a totally original genre blender, combining science fiction, horror, comedy, and superhero. The speed at which the appreciation page grew on Facebook was also evident that many more people liked the movie than the media might have you believe." The group has 8,000 members, which is more than you'd expect, but not enough for a sequel.

As the Snyder-led DC movies took off, the imprint pushed the Green Lantern's role to the edges. "In the Justice League extended cut, you can sort of see one or two Green Lanterns in the big fight flashback, but it's more an Easter egg than anything substantial," says Siddiqi. "There's also a minor character in Man of Steel named 'Carrie Farris', a nod to Carol Ferris." Within five years, Green Lantern went from launching the cinematic universe to a glorified Easter egg. While it may be disappointing for some, the fandom has always positioned comics over movies. "Green Lantern's fandom, from what I've observed, tends to be rooted in the books," says red_lantern. "You'll see even in the subreddit that a majority of people are talking about the stuff in the comics, rather than any of the animated mediums." This is not common among superhero fans these days. To most of the world, superhero fiction means movies. To Green Lantern fans, it means comic books.

The focus on comics made the Green Lantern fandom smaller than is befitting such an iconic character. But the news of the HBO Max series puts them in an exciting position. The only question that remains: Are they being set up for another 2011? Fans are cautiously optimistic because of the Arrowverse's track record with off-beat characters, including ‌Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and more. For many, these shows succeed where the DC films failed. "If it's going to be part of the Arrowverse," says red_lantern, "I'd say [I’m] excited AND cautiously optimistic. If the Arrowverse has proven anything, it's that they pretty much understand the fans. Things are both true to the comics (for the most part) and fit the medium of live action." Pointing to Arrowverse's less traditional approach to characters, red_lantern believes it's the perfect medium for the Corps. "I'll say the Arrowverse's version of the Flash is proof that a unique fandom CAN work. I mean, Flash is out there, story-wise. Time travel, speed force. And they pulled it off amazingly." In their press release, HBO announced they would pull from Lantern's history, naming the inclusion of numerous Lanterns, from Alan Scott to Jessica Cruz. On paper, it's everything a Green Lantern fan could ask for.

In brightest day, in blackest night, no Green Lantern news shall escape my sight! Hour-long episodes, multiple Lanterns, and a story "spanning decades and galaxies." Get hyped! https://t.co/eBf0f1Z5wY

— HBO Max (@hbomax) October 9, 2020

History and diversity is everything to the Lantern's legion. It's what makes their fandom what it is. "The Green Lantern fandom seems unique to me because it's somewhat fragmented," says /r/DCComics moderator Jay. "A lot of people have ONE favorite Lantern they prefer above the others. I think it's cool that the franchise has so many varied characters to pick from as their Green Lantern!" It's likely that the world is ready for this kind of story. With the success of 2018's Into the Spider-verse, it's clear studios underestimated the audience's desire for and understanding of dense storytelling. Green Lantern is no longer the exception. Diverse casts, complicated mythologies and interdimensional superheroes are the norm. Fans hope that the title will finally get a real shot at taking center stage. Green Lantern's light has always shone brightly for fans. Now it's time for the rest of the world to see what the fuss is about says Siddiqi.

"Since Green Lantern has always been a bit less prominent of a character, the big fans of Green Lantern are always ready to see them become more prominent. We just want everyone to see what we see."