Absolute Green Lantern #1-5

Absolute Green Lantern #1-5

Originally released in 2025

Written by Al Ewing

Art by Jahnoy Lindsay

I decided to start the last of DC's Absolute series today, though covering a Green Lantern comic on St. Patrick's Day is just a coincidence.  This series is written by Al Ewing - I loved his work with Marvel (The Ultimates, Immortal Hulk, his Ant-Man and Wasp mini-series...), so I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Rather than focusing on one specific Green Lantern, like what Absolute Flash did, this series focuses on three or four people who are Green Lanterns in the original universe - Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Jo Mullein. (Jo is less well-known than the others, but she was the lead in the miniseries Far Sector, which I greatly enjoyed)

The book starts off in something of a "how did we get here?" situation that builds up the many mysteries that this series seems to be centered around.  We see Hal Jordan walking down a road as a voice makes it clear that he's been chosen for a great purpose.  Describing the scenario, it sounds like the traditional Green Lantern origin, with Hal being gifted a power by an alien named Abin Sur, but something feels off, with Hal's very presence seeming to set people on edge.

My first thought was that, in a moment of confusion, before Hal could even properly use the Green Lantern Ring, he'd be shot and killed, leading to the ring finding a new user, but the story went in a different direction from what I expected.

Despite four of its leads (though Guy is more of a supporting character) being Green Lanterns in the main universe, it seems like most of them will get different power sources here, and some might not even survive.  The story flashes back to show what happened, with the initial incident reminding me of the Stephen King novel The Dome. (and, to a lesser extent, the Simpsons Movie)  Without warning, a massive Green Lantern logo is placed over part of a town, shielding it off from the rest of the world.  Abin Sur is responsible for this, looking less like a kindly mentor and more like Super Buu from Dragon Ball Z, with about as much morality guiding his actions.

Rather than being given any sort of Lantern ability, Hal Jordan is given the Black Hand, which keeps him alive but kills anyone in the area if he's threatened in any way.  Guy and John are seemingly disintegrated, though John seems to realize that this is some sort of test of character and seems fine with his supposed disintegration, so it's likely not as fatal as it looks.  

Only Jo seems to be a traditional Green Lantern out of the quartet, which makes for an interesting change. (though I'm guessing some parts of the internet will be up in arms about Hal being the unwilling initial villain coupled with Jo being the titular Green Lantern)

Despite his ominous presence, issue 4 reveals that Abin Sur only killed two people - one by accident (as he crashed his motorcycle into the barrier at top speed while it was forming) and one to prevent further deaths (as she was shooting at him wildly).  Everyone else was moved elsewhere in order to continue judgment, though why Abin Sur is judging this town and what he's judging them for is unknown.

When he tries to leave, Jo reaches out for him.  Through experimentation (and the motorcycle crash), John discovered that gold can pierce Abin Sur's constructs, and with Jo's gold wedding ring (which she wears despite the divorce), she reaches inside Abin Sur, which leads to her becoming the Green Lantern. (and gives her visions, including what appears to be Sinestro on the bottom of the page)

Thankfully, the town is only down to three people (Jo, Hal, and some guy named Todd) because when Jo absorbs Abin Sur's power, the barrier goes down and the Green Lantern symbol falls onto what remains of the town, looking like it just nuked the surrounding area.  The Green Lantern organization as a whole definitely carries a more ominous feel than it normally does, though with this being the Absolute universe, that's almost to be expected.

However, even Todd survives this, though the message that he gets from Abin Sur is even more ominous than the ones that the other characters received.  When he wakes up, his situation doesn't get much better, as he's face to face with Hector Hammond, who seems to have the attitude and morality of a darker Tony Stark.

With Jo disappearing, and Todd and everyone else presumed dead, Hal confronts Abin Sur, shooting him with gold-painted bullets in a dark twist on their usual interaction.  This led to Abin Sur judging Hal as he melts, seemingly fusing with his arm to give him the Black Hand and warning him about "the world that's coming" (which I'm expecting to be Absolute Mogo)

With the flashbacks done, we cut to the present, where Jo is trying to calm Hal down.  Hal's seen better days, and he looks like he's a few steps away from turning into Tetsuo from Akira.

As Jo gets closer to the Green Lantern symbol, it starts to tilt upwards, and the visuals here are awe-inspiring.  Hal and Jo are pulled into the symbol, where what appears to be a much older version of John Stewart is waiting for them, wearing a yellow Lantern outfit.

It definitely feels like there's a lot going on here, both in terms of plot and themes, and I feel like I missed some of the thematic elements.  I'm engaged with what's going on, and these issues went by fairly quickly.  It felt more like Absolute Martian Manhunter, where more creative freedom was allowed to make the series VERY different from the main version. (it likely helps that there are so many human Green Lanterns that there were a lot to choose from rather than the specific protagonist being set in stone)  It feels less like a space opera and more like a cosmic horror story, with the powers granted by Abin Sur feeling more like hostile symbiotes at times.