The Green Lantern Corps was designed to employ brave and honest individuals from around the universe as peacekeepers. However, an unusually large number of Earthlings seem to have been chosen to wield a Power Ring. Green Lantern #9 provides an explanation for this, as it sets the stage for a new Corps to be born on Earth.
Written by Jeremy Adams, with art by Xermanico, Green Lantern #9 reunited Hal Jordan with his friend, Tom Kalmaku. Beyond being Hal’s mechanic and sidekick, Tom was also a former member of the New Guardians. For this reason, Tom was chosen to protect a secret on behalf of the Guardians of the Universe.
Tom led Hal into a cave where the Guardians had installed a new Central Power Battery. The cave also held a cache of Power Rings, enough for all the Lanterns of Earth. Tom explained that the Guardians had created this as “a fail-safe should something happen to the one on Oa.” This proved a timely discovery, given the corruption of the Green Lantern Corps by the United Planets. However, it did raise the question of why the Guardians chose to hide this backup Central Power Battery on Earth.
Earth is a Nexus of Green Lantern Will Energy
Tom explained that the Guardians chose Earth as the home for a new Corps because of the inherent willpower of Earthlings. This acted as the perfect power source for the new Central Power Battery. Tom said this was also why so many Lantern Corps members came from Earth. Due to “an excess of will,” most people from Earth possessed “an innate inability to follow orders.”
While this comment may have been a Guardian joke about their most combative Lanterns being Earthlings, it was also an acknowledgement of their worth. The same determinism that made them annoying to the order-minded Guardians also made them well-suited to survival. This makes the Green Lanterns of Earth the ideal beings to rebuild the Corps.
Green Lantern #9 is now available in comic shops everywhere.
