Green Lantern In Five Seasons, Season 1: Emerald Dawn

I was never much into The Green Lantern, but I started working in comic book stores right before Geoff Johns brought Hal Jordan back to prominence as a major character in the DC Universe. There are about five seasons worth of stories that I’ve read that fit pretty neatly into the continuity that Johns mined from, and then created himself.
In season one we meet the original Green Lantern of Earth, Hal Jordan, and briefly meet two of his future replacements: Jon Stewart and the unfortunately irrepressible Guy Gardner.

Even if “bromance” was a word in the 70s, it couldn’t possibly describe these two reluctant partners.
Art by Neil Adams

Season 1: Emerald Dawn
(showrunners Dennis O’Neil and Neil Adams)

Serial 1: Hal Jordan Green Lantern Vol 1

(written by Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones, and Jim Owsley, art by MD Bright)

The 90s origin of Hal Jordan has been slightly improved upon in more modern years, but this is a great place to start continuity. A fighter pilot’s son watches his father die, and grows up to be a rule-flaunting pilot in his own right. When an alien lands on Earth and gives him a green power ring, his entire life changes for the weird. 

Emerald Dawn. 2 episodes


Serial 2: Tales Of The Green Lantern Corps
(written by Mike Barr, Len Wein, Paul Kupperberg, Robin Snyder, and Todd Klein, art by Carmen Infantino, Dave Gibbons, and more)

See how Hal Jordan fits into his new extended space family, including those troublesome blue bodied guardians. This is a series of very 1980s era space opera, mainly designed to familiarize you with some of the lantern family.

The Corps. 3 episodes



Serial 3: Green Lantern Green Arrow
(written by Dennis O’Neil, art by Neil Adams)

This season started with a 90s comic, moved back to the 80s, and now we are solidly in the 70s as Hal Jordan reluctantly teams up with Oliver Queen for many Earth-bound, politically charged adventures.

The first storyline plays the two off each other due to their very different political ideals. And focuses on Green Arrow’s relationship with Black Canary, and Hal Jordan’s tempestuous collaboration with the guardians.

The second half of the collection gets even grittier, as Arrow’s sidekick, Speedy, gets addicted to heroin, and Hal Jordan selects a new Green Lantern, Jon Stewart.

Broken Arrow. 2 episodes
Even An Immortal Can Die. 2 episodes
Killing Greens. 2 episodes
Snowbirds Don’t Fly. 1 episode
New Lantern. 1 episode
Death Of The Archer. 2 episodes


Season 1 of Green Lantern is 15 episodes



Interseason Special: Guy Gardener Reborn
(written by Gerard Jones, art by Joe Stanton, Josef Rubenstein, and Jose Marzan Jr)

​The jerkiest of the lanterns from Earth, Guy Gardener tried to lead Justice League International (a tale for another continuity) but was removed by Batman. Now Guy is journeying through space, trying to get some semblance of order back into his life. Featuring a lot of Lobo, and appearances by some guardians and other Green Lantern Corps members.