Absolute Green Lantern Just Set Up The Return Of DC's Most Surreal Superhero
An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.
His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.
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DC's been having a thrilling time with the Green Lantern corner of its brand in recent months. HBO's Lanterns amassing acclaim and strong viewership worldwide, and the franchise has enjoyed an enduring legacy for its original comic books. But with Al Ewing at its helm, Absolute Green Lantern has certainly been one of the most esoteric reimaginings ever seen for what were famously known a long time as an interstellar police force, among other things. While it's done well to incorporate a massive array of classic, modern, and Golden Age characters dating back to 1935, Absolute Green Lantern's latest preview gave a choice glimpse at two characters commonly tied to one superhero origin.
The Yellow Aliens appear in the mirror as if standing behind Paul Kirk in the preview for Absolute Green Lantern #19, whose appearances are otherwise consistently tied to Buddy Baker's Animal Man origins. Whether physical aliens whose crashed spacecraft's radiation gave him powers, or the various retcons such as them deconstructing him and linking him to the morphogenetic field, or even being used as an elaborate deception by Anansi, the Yellow Aliens are a fascinating choice to tie in. Even though such characters hardly guarantee an appearance from those directly linked, such as Ra's al Ghul in Absolute Superman instead of Absolute Batman, this at least reasonably sets up circumstances to bring Animal Man into the Absolute Universe.
Absolute Green Lantern Just Added A Classic Animal Man Duo
Owing to the cosmic horror of Ewing's Absolute Green Lantern, the signature enigmatic, patient, yet detached nature of the Yellow Aliens is a nice touch. Their debut comes in what appears to be a nod to Mirror World, complete with flipped text, as Kirk was understandably confused yet allured. He saw glimpses of yellow and the sense that an "organizing power" likely indicated by these creatures was near. The Yellow Aliens even refer to themselves by that classic label, with their popped collars hardly feeling changed since their debut 60 years ago in Strange Adventures #184. But instead of their Silver Age debut, these appear more to be a nod to Grant Morrison's run.
Yet, none of this explicitly lays out how Buddy Baker could factor in. The Yellow Aliens could simply be a more approachable, external messenger, whose presence compelled Kirk to shave his head to resemble theirs, and potentially find another encounter with them with an early form of LSD. But again like Ra's al Ghul, or Hector Hammond, who is doubling up with Absolute Green Lantern and Green Arrow appearances, their classic association to Animal Man could just as easily show up in subsequent DC projects. After all, for anybody who's read The Last Days of Animal Man, he can have surprisingly memorable encounters with Green Lanterns in their many forms.
The point is, the Yellow Aliens are almost far too obscure relative to Animal Man, for him not to appear at all this point. In what fashion, either in his own book or as a supporting character, remains to be seen or confirmed. As things stand with the Yellow Aliens in the Absolute Universe, they may just as easily not be the source of his powers. This ultimately begs the question whether The Red, the Morphogenetic Field, or a third option could grant Buddy Baker his Absolute origins, should he be added. Either way, at least two Animal Man characters have now made their Absolute Universe debut, even if they can't be reasonably told apart.
The Manhunter File Could Be Absolute Green Lantern's Watershed Moment
With one last glimpse of Kirk going into an LSD-induced psychedelic trip in which he is washed over with intense visions of yellow, it's clear that multiple unanswered questions about the Enlightenment Spectrum are around the corner. Add to that Kirk's origins as the original Manhunter, set in the backdrop of 1935-1940 (so far) as a nice nod to his 1940s origins before Manhunters became a major part of Green Lantern lore, and fans could be in for a doozy as Cameron Chase reveals everything known about the Manhunter File.
Sector 2814 · Corps Edition
How Well Do You Know
Green Lantern Lore?
🌟CorpsProtect
💎RingsPower
☠VillainsFear
💡LanternsWill
🌌UniverseOa
01
The Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic peacekeeping force powered by the emotional spectrum. Each Green Lantern’s ring is fueled by a specific emotion. Which emotion powers the Green Lantern rings?
✓ Correct! Willpower is the green light on the emotional spectrum, sitting at the very center. The Guardians of the Universe chose willpower because it is the most stable and disciplined of all emotions, making it the ideal force for a peacekeeping corps that spans 3,600 sectors of space.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is Willpower. Hope powers the Blue Lantern Corps, Love fuels the Star Sapphires, and Courage isn’t a force on the emotional spectrum. Willpower — the green light — is the foundation of every construct a Green Lantern creates.
02
The most famous Green Lantern in DC Comics is a test pilot from Coast City who was chosen by a dying alien’s ring to become the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Who is this character?
✓ Correct! Hal Jordan was introduced in Showcase #22 (1959), inheriting the ring from the dying alien Abin Sur. As a fearless test pilot, Hal was the perfect candidate — his indomitable willpower made him one of the greatest Green Lanterns in the history of the Corps.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is Hal Jordan. John Stewart is a fellow Earth Lantern and architect, Guy Gardner is the brash backup Lantern, and Kyle Rayner became a Lantern after Hal’s fall. But Hal Jordan is the test pilot from Coast City who defined the modern Green Lantern legacy.
03
The Green Lantern Corps is headquartered on a planet at the center of the universe, where the Guardians of the Universe reside. What is the name of this planet?
✓ Correct! Oa sits at the center of the DC Universe and serves as the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. It houses the Great Battery — the Central Power Battery that channels willpower energy to every Lantern ring across all 3,600 sectors of space.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is Oa. Maltus is the Guardians’ original homeworld before they migrated, Mogo is a sentient planet that is itself a Green Lantern, and Zamaron is the home of the Star Sapphires. Oa is the iconic green-tinged world at the heart of it all.
04
Sinestro was once the greatest Green Lantern before he was corrupted by his own desire for order and control. He created his own corps powered by a different emotion on the emotional spectrum. What emotion powers Sinestro’s yellow rings?
✓ Correct! The Sinestro Corps wields yellow rings powered by fear. Sinestro believed that fear was a more effective tool for maintaining order than willpower, and he recruited the most terrifying beings in the universe to prove it. The Sinestro Corps War remains one of the greatest Green Lantern storylines.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is Fear. Rage powers the Red Lanterns, Avarice (greed) fuels the Orange Lantern Larfleeze, and Death powers the Black Lanterns. Sinestro’s yellow rings channel fear — the direct opposite of willpower on the emotional spectrum.
05
The Green Lantern ring is one of the most powerful weapons in the DC Universe. It can create solid constructs of green light shaped by the wearer’s imagination. What is the ring’s one notable weakness in classic stories?
✓ Correct! For decades, the Green Lantern ring was powerless against anything colored yellow. This “yellow impurity” was later revealed to be caused by Parallax, the fear entity, imprisoned within the Central Power Battery on Oa. Once Parallax was removed, experienced Lanterns could overcome the weakness.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is the color yellow. Water was the weakness of the original Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott (whose ring was magic-based), not the Corps rings. The classic Silver Age weakness was yellow — leading to many creative villain strategies involving yellow objects.
06
John Stewart is a prominent Green Lantern who became a household name through his role in the Justice League animated series (2001–2006). Before becoming a Green Lantern, what was John Stewart’s profession?
✓ Correct! John Stewart was an architect before becoming a Green Lantern, which is reflected in his precise, structurally detailed ring constructs. While some later adaptations added a military background, his classic comic book profession is architect — and it shapes how he uses the ring in beautifully engineered ways.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is Architect. While the Justice League animated series gave John a Marine background, his original and most iconic profession in the comics is architect. This is why his ring constructs are known for their precise, detailed engineering — he literally designs them.
07
The emotional spectrum in DC Comics features seven corps, each tied to a different color and emotion. Which corps is powered by rage and wields red rings?
✓ Correct! The Red Lantern Corps, led by Atrocitus, is fueled by pure rage. Their rings replace the wearer’s blood with burning red plasma, and they vomit corrosive napalm-like blood as a weapon. Atrocitus founded the corps to seek vengeance against the Guardians for the Manhunter massacre of Sector 666.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is The Red Lantern Corps. The Sinestro Corps wields yellow rings of fear, the Orange Lantern is Larfleeze alone (powered by avarice), and the Black Lanterns are undead entities. The Red Lantern Corps, led by Atrocitus, channels pure burning rage.
08
Parallax is one of the most significant threats in Green Lantern lore. It is the living embodiment of fear and has possessed multiple Green Lanterns. In the iconic “Emerald Twilight” storyline, which Green Lantern did Parallax corrupt and drive to destroy the Corps?
✓ Correct! In “Emerald Twilight” (Green Lantern #48–50, 1994), a grief-stricken Hal Jordan — devastated by the destruction of Coast City — was corrupted by Parallax. He defeated every Green Lantern in his path, drained the Central Power Battery, and destroyed the Corps, becoming the villain Parallax. Geoff Johns later revealed that the fear entity had possessed Hal all along.
✗ Your ring’s charge is low on that one! The answer is Hal Jordan. After Coast City was destroyed by Mongul and the Cyborg Superman, Hal’s grief made him vulnerable to Parallax. He marched through the Corps, defeated every Lantern, and absorbed the Central Battery’s power. Kyle Rayner received the last ring after Hal’s fall, becoming the sole Green Lantern for years.
Ring Scan Complete Your Power Level
/ 8
Are you worthy of the ring — or does your willpower need recharging?
Secrets about the O.S.S. Section ARGENT, connecting the dots with reemerging characters like Emily Hawke and now Paul Kirk's past, alongside promises of answers explicitly laid out in issue #19's preview, will all surface in some fashion soon. For those who have been able to follow the fascinating and delightfully complex story of Absolute Green Lantern to this point, hopefully the reward is as enticing as more glimpses of the Yellow Aliens for Paul Kirk.
- Created By
- Martin Nodell, Bill Finger, John Broome, Gil Kane, Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams
- Cast
- Ryan Reynolds
- First Appearance
- All-American Comics
- Alias
- Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Sojourner Mullein
- Alliance
- Justice League, Justice Society of America, Green Lantern Corps
- Movies
- Green Lantern
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.