Lantern

It's a known fact that I'm a big geek. Now, I don't claim to be the biggest geek in the world. I haven't memorized every episode of Star Trek, I don't live in my mother's basement, and I don't spend any of my free time at the local comic book store. Okay, I do enjoy a good episode of Star Trek every now and again, and I have memorized my share of movie lines (and a few other people's share as well). If I had the option to live at a reduced rent in my parents' basement, I certainly would (these are very difficult economic times). Also, the only reason I don't necessarily hang out at a comic book store is because the shop back home ships stuff to me on a monthly basis, negating the need to make that weekly trip.

So yeah, I'm a big geek. And it occurs to me that I never really write anything about the comic books that I find so entertaining. Occasionally I'll mention that I'm a Superman fan, but I really think that should go without saying. Really, everyone should be a Superman fan. Really.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with Superman. This post is more about Green Lantern. Are you aware that Green Lantern is a character that even exists? He doesn't get as much exposure as Superman, Batman, or even Wonder Woman in the DC Universe, but he does belong in that pantheon of powerful super-heroes that populate that fictional world.

The most well-known Green Lantern is a test pilot by the name of Hal Jordan. I say well-known because there are, in fact, thousands of Green Lanterns in the known universe. They form the Green Lantern Corps, a sort of intergalactic police force that are called to keep peace throughout the galaxy.

Green Lanterns wield what's known as a power ring, called the most powerful weapon in the universe. The ring is good for 24 hours at a time, after which it must be recharged using the Green Lantern's power battery, which looks a lot like a lantern.

The driving force behind the Green Lantern's power is that of their own will. Anything they think of can form from the ring as a construct of light, from laser beams to giant fists to enormous mousetraps. They are limited only by their imaginations.

Recently, the creators of the Green Lantern titles have upped their game. The stories being produced by these writers, specifically Geoff Johns, are really very entertaining. Over the last year, the stage has been set for an upcoming story arc known as "The Blackest Night." What's been building up has been a war of light between the Green Lanterns and six other Corps that have been introduced to the universe.

So we've begun with only the Green Lantern Corps, powered by sheer force of will. For a long time, they were the only ring wielding corps, leaving people to ask the question, "Do I have the strength of will to wield one of the Green Lantern rings?" Now that the rest of the spectrum has been thrust into existence, the question can be asked, "Which color would I best represent?"

More on that later...