DC Redefines Green Lantern’s Emotional Spectrum

Warning: The following feature contains SPOILERS for Green Lantern #1.

The Emotional Spectrum believed to empower the Green Lantern Corps may have been redefined. At the very least, it has been strongly suggested that the Green Lanterns do not truly understand the source of their power in the wake of Dark Nights: Death Metal and some major changes to DC Comics’ Multiverse.

Originally, the members of the Green Lantern Corps were granted the power to do nearly anything they could imagine, thanks to the cosmic rings and batteries created by the Guardians of the Universe. The actual power behind the Lanterns went undefined for decades until the Green Lantern series spinning out of the 2004 Green Lantern: Rebirth miniseries introduced the idea of an Emotional Spectrum, formed of fragmented energies originating with the White Light of Life. This gave way to a host of new Lantern Corps who drew power from other emotions, Whuke the Green Lanterns still drew upon Willpower, there was also the rage-empowered Red Lanterns and the hope-empowered Blue Lanterns. It also revamped several Green Lantern villains, with Star Sapphire becoming an avatar of the violet energy of Love and the death-god Nekron leading a Black Lantern Corps of zombies. However, all that may have changed in the new cosmology of the DC Comics multiverse based on the words of one scholar in the first issue of the new Green Lantern series.

The story centers around a conclave of the newly formed United Planets, which gathered on the Guardian homeworld of Oa to hold a vote on whether or not the Guardians would be allowed membership in the organization and whether or not the Green Lantern Corps would become a recognized peacekeeping force endorsed by the United Planets. This did not sit well with many magic-wielding members of the United Planets’ membership, who held a grudge against the Guardians for their efforts to bind many artifacts of wild magic. This led to one group of magic-wielding terrorists digging deep into the archives of Oa and releasing a creature known as the A’Tmatentrym that resisted every weapon that was used against it. The A’Tmatentrym was only defeated thanks to the efforts of a mysterious man, unknown to Green Lantern Corps Leader John Stewart, who revealed that the strange creature was a creation of the Guardians of the Universe and that it could paradoxically only be defeated by refusing to fight it.

Curiously, the mysterious scholar referred to the power the Green Lanterns tapped as “the Spectrum” rather than “the Emotional Spectrum.” When John Stewart corrected him, the scholar became pensive and noted that specific term did not apply to the vast majority of energies tapped by the various Corps, as many of them were not emotions. “Love is. Rage is. Fear is. But… life? Death? No,” mused the scholar. He went on to note that Greed, Compassion, and Hope were also not emotions and were entirely dependent upon an act of choice and will.

It is hard to guess what this revelation might mean for the future of the Green Lantern Corps. It seems to suggest the Green Lanterns may be the most powerful of all the Corps. if some of the other energies are ultimately dependent on Willpower. Presumably, the unnamed scholar with have more answers to offer in upcoming issues, as his arrival seemed oddly fortuitous.

About The Author

Matt Morrison
(1835 Articles Published)

Matt Morrison has been writing about comics since before the word
“blogging” was coined. He got his start writing for the
legendary DC Comics digital fanzine Fanzing,
before receiving his own column, The Mount. Since then he has gone on
to write for over a dozen websites, including 411
Mania, Comics
Nexus and The Cult of Nobody. He holds both an MS in Information
Science from the University of North Texas and a BFA from the
University of Texas at Arlington. Known as a font of comic book
history trivia, he has delivered lectures on the history of American
Comic Books, Japanese Manga, Doctor Who, and Cosplay at over a dozen conventions
and served as an Expert In-Residence for a course on Graphic Novels
for Librarians at the University of North Texas. In addition to his
work for Screen Rant, Matt is currently the Editor In Chief of
Kabooooom.com and writes reviews for No
Flying, No Tights – a graphic literature and anime review site
aimed at teachers and librarians. He also maintains a personal blog –
My Geeky Geeky Ways –
which hosts his extensive episode guide for the television series
making up The Arrowverse as well as his
comedic Let’s Play videos. What little spare time he has is
devoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. You
can follow his adventures on Twitter, @GeekyGeekyWays.

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