{"id":32719,"date":"2025-04-28T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T08:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=32719"},"modified":"2025-04-25T17:31:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T17:31:42","slug":"dc-finest-green-lantern-the-defeat-of-green-lantern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/04\/28\/dc-finest-green-lantern-the-defeat-of-green-lantern\/","title":{"rendered":"DC Finest: Green Lantern – The Defeat of Green Lantern"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Gardner F. Fox<\/strong>, John Broome<\/strong>, Bob Haney<\/strong>, Gil Kane<\/strong>, Carmine Infantino<\/strong>, Ramona Fradon & Charles Paris<\/strong>, Murphy Anderson<\/strong>, Joe Giella<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, Sid Greene<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-77952-848-3 (TPB)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times <\/em><\/p>\n

This stunning compilation is another of the initial batch of DC Finest<\/strong> editions: full colour extentions of their chronolgically curated monochrome Showcase Presents<\/strong> line, delivering \u201caffordably priced, large-size (comic book dimensions and generally around 600 pages) paperback collections\u201d highlighting past glories.Whilst primarily and understandably concentrating on the superhero character pantheon, there will also be genre selections like horror and war books, and themed compendia. <\/em><\/p>\n

Sadly, they\u2019re not yet available digitally, as were the last decade\u2019s Bronze, Silver & Golden Age collections, but we live in hope…<\/em><\/p>\n

After a hugely successful revival and reworking of Golden Age all star The Flash<\/strong>, DC (National Periodical Publications as they were then) built on a resurgent superhero trend. Cover dated October 1959 and on sale from July 28th<\/sup>, Showcase<\/strong> #22 hit newsstands at the same time as the fourth issue of the new Flash comic book (#108) and once again the guiding lights were Editor Julie Schwartz and writer John Broome. Assigned as illustrator was action ace Gil Kane, generally inked by Joe Giella.<\/p>\n

Hal Jordan<\/em> was a brash and cocky young test pilot in California when an alien policeman crashed his spaceship on Earth. Mortally wounded, Abin Sur <\/em>commanded his ring – a device which could materialise thoughts – to find a replacement officer: one both honest and without fear. Scanning the planet, the wonder weapon selected Jordan, whisking him to the crash-site. The dying alien bequeathed his ring, the lantern-shaped Battery of Power<\/em> and his profession to the astonished Earthman.<\/p>\n

In 6 pages \u2018S.O.S Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em> established characters, scenario and narrative thrust of a series that would become the spine of all DC continuity. With the concept of the superhero being re-established among the buying public, there was no shortage of gaudily clad competition. The better books thrived by having something a little \u201cextra\u201d. With Green Lantern<\/strong> that was primarily the superb scripts of John Broome & Gardner Fox and astounding ever-evolving drawing of Gil Kane (ably abetted by a string of top inkers) whose dynamic anatomy and dramatic action scenes were maturing with every page he drew. Happily, the concept itself was also a provider of boundless opportunity.<\/p>\n

Other heroes had extraterrestrial, other-dimensional and even trans-temporal adventures, but the valiant champion of this series was also a cop: a lawman working for the biggest police force in the entire universe.<\/p>\n

This fabulous compilation gathers Green Lantern<\/strong> #19-39 (March 1963 – September1965) plus his guest shots in The Flash<\/strong> #143 and The Brave and the Bold<\/strong> #59, and opens with a return match for sound-weaponising radical Modoran ultranationalist Sonar<\/em> in \u2018The Defeat of Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em> (Broome, Kane & Joe Giella): a high-energy super-powered duel neatly counterpointed by whimsical crime-caper \u2018The Trail of the Horse-and-Buggy Bandits!\u2019<\/em> by the same team, wherein a little old lady\u2019s crossed phone line led the Emerald Gladiator into conflict with a passel of crafty crooks. Issue #20\u2019s \u2018Parasite Planet Peril!\u2019<\/em> (Broome, Kane & Murphy Anderson) then triumphantly reunites GL with new best buddy The Flash<\/strong> in a full-length epic to foil a plot to kidnap human geniuses.
\n\"\"
\nOne of the DCU\u2019s greatest menaces debuted in #21\u2019s \u2018The Man Who Mastered Magnetism\u2019<\/em>. Broome created a worldbeater in dual-personality villain Doctor Polaris<\/em> for Kane & Giella to limn, whilst \u2018Hal Jordan Betrays Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em> is the kind of action-packed, devilishly baffling puzzle-yarn ex-lawyer Fox excelled at, especially with Anderson\u2019s stellar inks to lift the art to a delightful high. Fox also scripted the encore of diabolical futurist villain Hector Hammond<\/em> in \u2018Master of the Power Ring!\u2019<\/em> (Giella inks) before Broome turned his hand to a human-interest story in the Anderson-inked \u2018Dual Masquerade of the Jordan Brothers!\u2019<\/em> Here, Hal plays mischievous matchmaker, trying to convince his future sister-in-law that her intended is in fact Green Lantern!<\/p>\n

These costumed drama romps are in themselves a great read for most ages, but when also considered as the building blocks of all DC continuity they become vital fare for any fan keen to make sense of the modern superhero experience. In #23 our hero tackles the \u2018Threat of the Tattooed Man!\u2019<\/em> in the first all Fox scripted issue and the start of Giella\u2019s tenure as sole inker, as the Ring-Slinger tackles a second-rate thief who lucks into the eerie power to animate his skin-ink, after which \u2018The Green Lantern Disasters\u2019<\/em> take the interplanetary lawman offworld to rescue missing comrade Xax of Xaos<\/em>: an insectoid member of the GL Corps. Broome scripted #24, heralding the first appearance of \u2018The Shark that Hunted Human Prey!\u2019<\/em> after an atomic accident hyper-evolves the ocean\u2019s deadliest predator into a psychic fear-feeder, whilst \u2018The Strange World Named Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em> (inks by Frank Giacoia & Giella) finds the Emerald Gladiator trapped on a sentient lonely planet craving his constant presence…<\/p>\n

GL<\/strong> #25 featured Fox\u2019s full-length thriller. \u2018War of the Weapon Wizards!\u2019<\/em> sees GL fall foul of lethally persistent Sonar and his silent partner-in-crime Hector Hammond<\/em>, whilst in the next issue Hal\u2019s girlfriend Carol Ferris<\/em> is again transformed into a man-hating space queen determined to beat him into marital submission in \u2018Star Sapphire Unmasks Green Lantern!\u2019 <\/em>This wry and witty cracker by Fox is supplemented by his superb fantasy \u2018World Within the Power Ring!\u2019<\/em> wherein the Viridian Avenger battles an extraterrestrial sorcerer imprisoned inside his ring by deceased predecessor Abin Sur…<\/p>\n

Fox\u2019s super-science crime thriller \u2018Mystery of the Deserted City!\u2019<\/em> led in GL<\/strong> #27, before Broome charmed and alarmed with \u2018The Amazing Transformation of Horace Tolliver!\u2019<\/em>, as Hal learns a lesson in who to help – and how. An appearance in The Flash<\/strong> #143 (March 1964 by Fox, Carmine Infantino & Giella) delivered another full-length team-up with for \u2018Trail of the False Green Lanterns!\u2019 <\/em>as a bizarre string of multiple manifestations lead the baffled heroes to a new nemesis – future-gazing mad scientist Thomas Oscar Morrow<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no prize for guessing who – or what – menace returns in #28\u2019s \u2018The Shark Goes on the Prowl Again!\u2019<\/em>, but kudos all round if you can solve the enigma of \u2018The House that Fought Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em>: both engaging romps courtesy of writer Fox, whereas Broome adds to his tally of memorable creations with the debut of \u201cClich\u00e9 Criminal\u201d Black Hand<\/em> – who purloins a portion of GL\u2019s power in \u2018Half a Green Lantern is Better than None!\u2019<\/em>, as well as penning a brilliant back-up alien invader tale in \u2018This World is Mine!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

This issue, #29, is doubly memorable as not only does it feature a rare – for the times – Justice League<\/strong> cameo (soon to be inevitable – if not interminable – as comics continuity grew into an unstoppable force in all companies\u2019 output) but also because the incredibly talented Sid Greene signed on as regular inker.<\/p>\n

Issue #30 offered two more Broome tales: dinosaur attack thriller \u2018The Tunnel Through Time!\u2019<\/em> and a compelling epic of duty and love as Katma Tui<\/em> – who replaced the renegade GL Sinestro<\/em> as the Guardians\u2019 operative – learns to her eternal regret \u2018Once a Green Lantern… Always a Green Lantern!\u2019 <\/em>The same writer provided baffling mystery \u2018Power Rings for Sale!\u2019<\/em> and tense Jordan Brothers thriller \u2018Pay Up – or Blow Up!\u2019<\/em> whilst Fox handled all of #32: tantalizing crime caper \u2018Green Lantern\u2019s Wedding Day!\u2019<\/em> and transgalactic Battle Royale \u2018Power Battery Peril!\u2019<\/em>, in which Jordan comes to the initially involuntary assistance of an alien superhero team…<\/p>\n

Nefarious villain Dr. Light<\/em> opted to pick off his enemies one by one after his debut defeat in Justice League of America<\/strong> #12, and his follow-up attempts in various member\u2019s home titles reached GL<\/strong> with #33, but here too he gets a damned good thrashing in \u2018Wizard of the Light Wave Weapons!\u2019<\/em>, whereas thugs in the back-up yarn, as well as giving artist Gil Kane another excuse to show his love of and facility with movie gangster caricatures, come far too close to ending the Emerald Gladiator\u2019s life in \u2018The Disarming of Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em>
\n\"\"
\nFox had by this time become lead writer. \u2018Three-Way Attack against Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em> in #34 was another extended cosmic extravaganza as Hector Hammond learns the secrets of the Guardians of the Universe and launches an all-out assault on our hero, after which both scripts in #35 – costumed villain drama \u2018Prisoner of the Golden Mask!\u2019<\/em> and brain-swop spy-saga \u2018The Eagle Crusader of Earth!\u2019<\/em> – look much closer to home for their abundance of thrills, chills and spills.<\/p>\n

Next up is a guest shot with resurgent star Batman<\/strong> from The Brave and the Bold <\/strong>#59 (April\/May 1965) which became the prototype of that title\u2019s next 20 years. Scripted by Bob Haney and illustrated by Ramona Fradon & Charles Paris it saw Gotham Gangbuster and Emerald Crusader reliving the The Count of Monte Cristo<\/strong> as they sought to foil \u2018The Tick-Tock Traps of the Time Commander!\u2019 <\/em>after devious criminal scientist John Starr<\/em> tricked Bruce Wayne<\/em> into clearing his name. The liberated rogue then stole the green energy to fuel a chronal assault on Gotham but had severely underestimated his foes\u2019 resilience and ingenuity.<\/p>\n

Firmly established as a major star of the company firmament, Green Lantern<\/strong> increasingly became the series to provide conceptual highpoints and \u201cbig picture\u201d foundations. These, successive creators would use to build the tight-knit history and continuity of the DC universe. At this time there was also a turning away from the simple imaginative wonder of a ring that could do anything in favour of a hero who increasingly ignored easy solutions in preference to employing his mighty fists. What a happy coincidence then, that at this time Gil Kane was reaching an artistic peak, his dynamic full-body anatomical triumphs bursting with energy and crashing out of every page…<\/p>\n

Scripted by Fox Green Lantern<\/strong> #36 cover-featured bizarre mystery \u2018Secret of the Power-Ringed Robot!\u2019<\/em> (how can you resist a tale that is tag-lined \u201cI\u2019ve been turned into a robot… and didn\u2019t even know it!\u201d?) and trumped that all-action conundrum with the incredible tale of Dorine Clay<\/em> – a young lady who was the last hope of her race against the machinations of the dread alien Headmen<\/em> in John Broome\u2019s \u2018Green Lantern\u2019s Explosive Week-End!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

As previously stated, physical combat was steadily overtaking ring magic on the pages of the series and all-Fox #37\u2019s\u2018The Spies Who \u201cOwned\u201d Green Lantern!\u2019<\/em> – despite being a twist-heavy drama of espionage and intrigue – was no exception, whilst second story \u2018The Plot to Conquer the Universe!\u2019<\/em> pitted the Emerald Crusader against Evil Star<\/em>, an alien foe both immortal and invulnerable, who gave Jordan plenty of reasons to lash out in spectacular, eye-popping manner.<\/p>\n

For #38 (another all-Fox scripted affair), Jordan re-teamed with fellow GL Tomar Re<\/em> to battle \u2018The Menace of the Atomic Changeling!\u2019<\/em> in a brilliant alien menace escapade counterpointed by \u2018The Elixir of Immortality!\u2019<\/em> wherein criminal mastermind Keith Kenyon<\/em> consumes a gold-based serum to become a veritable superman. He might be immune to Ring Energy (which can\u2019t affect anything yellow, as eny old Fule kno) but eventually our hero\u2019s flashing fists bring him low – a fact he will never forget on the many occasions he returns as merciless master criminal Goldface<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Closing this outing is Green Lantern <\/strong>#39 (September 1965), featuring two tales by world-traveller John Broome, Kane & Green: opening with a return engagement for Black Hand, entitled \u2018Practice Makes the Perfect Crime!\u2019<\/em> and ending in a bombastic slugfest with an alien prize fighter named Bru Tusfors<\/em> in \u2018The Fight for the Championship of the Universe!\u2019<\/em> They were mere warm-ups for the next issue and even more cosmic excitement…
\n\"\"
\nThese costumed romps are in themselves a great read for most ages, but when also considered as the building blocks of all DC continuity they become vital fare for any fan keen to make sense of the modern superhero experience. This blockbusting book showcases Broome, Fox & Kane\u2019s imaginative and creative peak: a plot driven plethora of adventure sagas and compelling thrillers that literally reshaped a Universe. Action lovers and fans of fantasy fiction couldn\u2019t find a better example of everything that defines superhero comics.<\/p>\n

This fresh and evergreen collection is a must-read item for anybody in love with comics and especially anyone just now encountering the hero for the first time through his movie and TV incarnations.
\n\u00a9 1963, 1964, 1965, 2024 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gardner F. Fox, John Broome, Bob Haney, Gil Kane, Carmine Infantino, Ramona Fradon & Charles Paris, Murphy Anderson, Joe Giella, Frank Giacoia, Sid Greene & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-77952-848-3 (TPB) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times This stunning compilation is another of the initial batch of DC Finest editions: … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “DC Finest: Green Lantern – The Defeat of Green Lantern”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,133,211,10,383,75,76,290,91,332,82,16,127,107,9,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-aquaman","category-atom","category-batman","category-carmine-infantino","category-crime-comics","category-dc-superhero","category-dinosaurs","category-flash","category-gil-kane","category-green-lantern","category-jla","category-nostalgia","category-science-fiction","category-superman","category-wonder-woman"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8vJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32719"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32725,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32719\/revisions\/32725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}