Green Lantern: Earth One

Lore & Background

In Volume Two, set three years later, humanity joins the intergalactic community but a diplomatic incident with the Llarans leads to hostages being taken. Jordan becomes a fugitive after refusing CENTCOM orders. He travels to Llaran Prime, encountering a Yellow Lantern who reveals the Yellow Lanterns come from Qward, given rings by the last Guardian. The Guardian cuts off the Green Lanterns' access to the Central Battery, depowering them. Jordan, with help from the former hostages and allies, confronts the Guardian, who plans to reshape the universe. Jordan destroys the dimensional rift, trapping the Guardian, and the rift collapses.

Reader's Guide

Green Lantern: Earth One is significant as the fifth original graphic novel in DC's Earth One line, following Superman: Earth One, Batman: Earth One, Teen Titans: Earth One, and Wonder Woman: Earth One. It offers a self-contained, modernized take on the Green Lantern mythos, emphasizing themes of trust, cowardice, and redemption. The series introduces a darker backstory for the Guardians, who created the Manhunters to destroy their own Corps, and sets up the Yellow Lanterns as a direct antagonist force. Its legacy lies in providing an alternate continuity that explores the moral complexities of power and responsibility, distinct from mainstream DC canon. The graphic novel format allows for a complete narrative arc across two volumes, appealing to both new readers and longtime fans seeking a fresh interpretation.

Did You Know?

• Green Lantern: Earth One is the fifth original graphic novel in the Earth One line, established in 2009.
• The series was written by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, with art by Hardman.
• Volume One was released on March 20, 2018, and Volume Two on August 11, 2020.
• The story features the last Guardian of the Universe creating a Yellow Lantern Corps from Qward.