Green Lantern: 9 Essential Comics About Hal Jordan

Unless Alan Scott counts, Hal Jordan is the “first” Green Lantern, as he is the first human chosen by a Green Lantern Power Ring for his ability to overcome great fear. Next to John Stewart, he is the most recognizable for his cocky personality and background as a fighter pilot.

Jordan also tends to get the most attention, being Geoff Johns’ favorite during his run that dominated Green Lantern comics in the 2000s. But even beyond that era, Hal’s long and varied history has kept him interesting.

Showcase #22, 1959

The comic that started it all, this little experiment in Showcase #22 was written by John Broome and illustrated in classic artwork by Gil Kane, enticing readers with an iconic cover depicting Green Lantern himself battling a yellow missile bound for the destruction of Coast City.

The comic covers three short stories documenting Hal Jordan inheriting the emerald Power Ring from the dying Abin Sur, learning of his new powers’ weakness against the color yellow in a scuffle with some bad guys, and battling a mad scientist with destructive goals. It would be some time before the origin of Hal’s Ring and the reality of the Green Lantern Corps were revealed.

Emerald Twilight (1994)

The story by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks shows Hal Jordan’s psychological collapse in the aftermath of the destruction of Coast City. Burdened with grief yet unable to use his ring to cope with the loss due to the mandates of the Guardians, Hal embarks on a rampage through the universe towards Oa, tearing through Green Lanterns and stealing their rings.

The biggest status quo change in Green Lantern history, the story culminates in the birth of Parallax — Hal Jordan reborn as DC’s newest supervillain, whose reign of terror over the DC universe lasted years. It also introduced Kyle Rayner, the sole remaining bearer of the Green Lantern title.

Willworld (2001)

Written to the brim with absurdity by J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated in glorious ridiculousness by Seth Fisher, this one-shot “prequel” comic set shortly after Hal Jordan’s enlistment in the Corps finds him missing his memories and wandering an undecipherable wonderland where nothing makes sense.

Quirky and strange characters abound as the mystery of this magical place unfolds, revealing to Hal Jordan truths about this surreal world, himself, and his past. Fans of these kinds of wacky worlds should not miss this glorious love letter to the iconic Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and its unique spin on the Green Lantern mythos.

Rebirth (2004)

Geoff Johns’ hit the ground running with his entrance to the Green Lantern mythos in this story, restoring the old status quo and setting up an epic multi-year saga leading up to the massive Blackest Night event later that decade.

The tale retconned Jordan’s villainy by revealing that he was, in fact, possessed by an entity of pure fear, the true Parallax who manipulated him towards the dark side, thus clearing his name somewhat considering the controversial choice to make Hal a baddie of his own free will and upend the Green Lantern status quo so dramatically.

DC: The New Frontier (2004)

Set in the mid-1900s, this retro-styled six-issue comic written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke is essentially a Justice League origin story, steeped in political Cold War themes as it bridges the gap between the Golden and Silver Ages of DC.

Included in the narrative are short-form origin stories for Hal Jordan and Martian Manhunter, whose personal journeys are arguably the highlight of the mini-series. It even saw an animated adaptation in 2008.

Revenge of the Green Lanterns (2006)

Bringing the Parallax consequences full circle, Hal Jordan finds himself facing down the Green Lanterns he thought he slaughtered on his way to Oa during Emerald Twilight in this four-issue story by Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis.

The Manhunters make an appearance alongside Cyborg Superman, having captured the “Lost Lanterns” to serve his sinister goals. Following this arc, these Lanterns would stick around for a while as recurring side characters of the Green Lantern Corps.

Secret Origin (2008)

Following the epic spectacle that was the Sinestro Corps War marking one of the best Green Lantern comics of the 2000s, Geoff Johns saw fit to make some retroactive changes to the Green Lantern continuity that would help contextualize recent and upcoming events.

The definitive Hal Jordan origin story, this six-issue arc depicts the revamped birth of the central Green Lantern of Earth, reintroducing characters like Carol Ferris, Thomas Kalmaku, Hector Hammond, Sinestro, and the Guardians of the Universe, all while setting up new villains like Atrocitus. The artwork is again by Ivan Reis, whose beautiful and clear lines make every page fun and easy to look at.

Green Lantern: Earth One (2018)

Joining Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Teen Titans in the “Earth One” line of comics reimagining the iconic DC superheroes, Hal Jordan is the star of this radical alternate take on the Green Lantern mythos.

Set in the not-too-distant future when humanity is exploring and mining the solar system, an astronaut Hal Jordan takes up the emerald mantle only to find the Green Lantern Corps has long been destroyed by the Manhunters. With the help of a timid scientist Kilowog, Hal becomes the hero the universe needs to resurrect the emerald knights.

Sinestro’s Law (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1-#7, 2016)

A series built to focus on Hal Jordan specifically, the first seven issues of this title are an epic introduction indeed, forming the “Sinestro’s Law” arc written by Robert Venditti and illustrated by both Rafa Sandoval and Ethan Van Sciver. It is an excellent starting point to this new series.

In this story, Hal Jordan finds himself in a universe without the Green Lantern Corps and, as the title implies, Sinestro’s will is now law. Since the battle with Volthoom, Sinestro has been empowered by Parallax, whom the former Green Lantern can control, making him a more powerful foe than ever before.