Green Lantern: 80 Years of the Emerald Knight The Deluxe Edition

DC's 80th Anniversary Celebration

by Bill Finger

DC celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Emerald Knight with this new collection of the best Green Lantern tales across the decades! This new edition celebrates the legacy of Green Lantern, from the debut of Alan Scott in 1940, to the character's rebirth in 1959 as test pilot Hal Jordan-part of a vast Green Lantern Corps that serves justice across the galaxy-to John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, and beyond. Included in this title are some of the greatest Green Lantern tales ever, featuring stories and art by comics' top talents.

This anthology collects stories published in ALL-AMERICAN COMICS #16; GREEN LANTERN (1st series, 1940) 10; GREEN LANTERN (2nd series, 1960) #9, 59, 85, 87, 128, 188, 201; GREEN LANTERN (3rd series, 1990) #49, 50, 100, 154; GREEN LANTERN GALLERY #1; GREEN LANTERN SECRET FILES 2005; GREEN LANTERN: LEGACY; GREEN LANTERN: MOSAIC #1; GREEN LANTERNS #15; SHOWCASE #23; THE GREEN LANTERN #1.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Superheroes

408 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2020

About the author

William "Bill" Finger was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the co-architect of the series' development. In later years, Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation. Comics historian Ron Goulart, in Comic Book Encyclopedia, refers to Batman as the "creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger", and a DC Comics press release in 2007 about colleague Jerry Robinson states that in 1939, "Kane, along with writer Bill Finger, had just created Batman for [DC predecessor] National Comics".

Film and television credits include scripting The Green Slime (1969), Track of the Moon Beast (1976), and three episodes of 77 Sunset Strip.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Although the reputation of the Green Lantern was severely tarnished by the 2011 Green Lantern movie, it would be a mistake to believe that this hero’s legacy is not without merit or praise. It all began in the All-American Comics issue #16 with Alan Scott, the first Earthling to ever to become the indomitable Green Lantern, as he forged himself into the hero that will effortlessly join the ranks of the Justice League of America. As the years went by, many others will become the Emerald Crusader, from Hal Jordan to John Stuart, giving countless creative teams over at DC Comics the chance to expand on the science-fiction mythology of the hero, one that gravitates around space police procedurals with a hint of terrestrial drama in the form of identity crisis and romantic affairs. While the world that has yet to embrace his comic books are oblivious to his heroic traits, it is not without hope that this superhero and his corps will put us all under a spell in the near future with live-action Green Lantern projects currently in development.

What is Green Lantern: 80 Years of the Emerald Knight about? This year thus marks the 80th anniversary of this will-channeling hero, capable of unleashing powerful mental constructs through his power ring , as he receives this stunning celebratory anthology treatment filled with issues of iconic comic book stories from the Golden Age to the Modern Age, efficiently showcasing the classic appearances of all the Earth Green Lanterns that have been introduced so far into the DC Universe while also highlighting the quirky and wild villains that constitute his rogues’ gallery. This beautiful hardcover also includes select commentaries from top creators, from Dave Gibbons to Geoff Johns, offering fans insight on the legendary history of the Green Lantern and their own perception of the superhero’s growth and transformation throughout the ages.

Similar to previous 80th-anniversary collections, this one continues down the same tradition and allows any reader to jump into various stories from different eras without reading anything in particular on this hero just to discover the wide-ranging Green Lantern universe filled with science-fiction tropes. While many might think they know the man behind the mask—no, it’s not Ryan Reynolds—this anthology will quickly reveal that there are several iconic individuals (men and women of all kinds of ethnicities) who have successfully proven their fearlessness and willpower to hence join the Green Lantern Corps. What makes a lot of their stories worthwhile and extensive is how the writers have managed to juggle both the human facet of the hero with his journey of self-discovery in extraterrestrial corners of the universe.

If the character didn’t sound unique so far, allow the artwork that often accompanies this superhero’s world to suck you into unparalleled cosmoses where aliens go on with their lives under various regimes while protected by the law monitored by the Green Lantern Corps. The stories featured in this volume, chronologically collected, also invite readers to gaze upon the transformation of the comic book industry in terms of story-telling style, both narratively and visually. The Dark Age of this superhero, in particular, also brings to light a moment in the Green Lantern’s lore where his impact and relevance skyrockets. On top of the commentaries sparingly interspersed throughout this volume, it is worth noting that it could only collect so much of the superhero’s mythology. It is thus up to you to jump in at the deep end and enjoy your foray into space and beyond.

Green Lantern: 80 Years of the Emerald Knight is a fantastic and stark celebratory anthology exploring the superhero’s iconic moments and history throughout the evolution of the comic book industry.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very elaborate indeed ... But not all the ages were as good for me as I was hoping for. Mostly the later ones like the Bronze and the Dark age kept me in sway, especially because they had the more interesting stories as well as the better graphics imho.

[José Miguel (TheHudson) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin duda, un buen recopilatorio.

En este caso, la edición de ECC se hace valer por "Fear Itself" (El miedo mismo) , un muy buen relato, fiel al espíritu del "propósito esmeralda".

La edición de ECC, contiene:

- Primera Aparición de Alan Scott
(All American Cómics 16)

- Primera Aparición de Hal Jordan
(Showcase 22)

- Primera Aparición de Guy Gardner
(GL v2 59)

- Primera Aparición de John Stewart
(GL v2 87)

- La transición de Hal-Kyle
(GL v3 50-51)

- Héroe del mañana
(DC First : GL/GL)

- Fear Itself (El miedo mismo)
(Special de 1999)

[Chris Aylott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's pretty hard to cover the breadth and depth of the Green Lantern mythos, even when you have 400 pages to work with. This collection makes a valiant effort, but I don't think it quite gets there.

Not that it doesn't try hard. There are some excellent stories featuring just about every human and non-human Lantern of note. The early versions of Alan and Guy get some love, I was personally psyched to drop in on Mosaic, and they made the clever choice of reprinting a old story that Kyle Rayner then revisits in an issue-100 milestone story years later. On the other hand, they also reprint some the climaxes of some epic storylines (most notably, Hal's fall into becoming Parallax), which are completely incoherent out of the context of their own supporting issues. In the end, my favorite stories are the little stories, most notably Geoff Johns' "Flight" and Sam Humphries' Jessica Cruz story "A Day in the Life".

[Manu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always nice to read historical anthologies where you can see how the characters and mythology changes with times. In the older books they have crappy art, but big big ideas. In new books sometimes you have the zeitgeist. Very interesting to see contemporary ideas in comics. Old ones had war bonds, people trying to sabotage country during world war. Then in 80s you have this anti-drug narrative. Green Arrow and Green Lantern taking a hard look at the real problems of real people like poverty, racism, gay intolerance etc was really refreshing in a superhero book. They have a african american green lantern, latinx green lantern and now even an asian american one. The Hate Crimes arc was the best in art and story.

[Kurt Vosper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. Before you wonder why the 5 star allow me to say that as a comic book fan, GL has always been my second favourite character after Batman. The stories in this book cover some of the best moments in the 80 plus year History of GL, from Alan Scott to the greatest Lantern Hal Jordan, to the first Guy Gardner story, the first John Stewart, the new Lantern, the Corp and the Guardians. Some particularly awesome stories include when GL teamed with Green Arrow and they discovered Speedy was a junkie. John Stewart’s first outing opens Hal’s eyes to the racism in America. Some great essays by great comic writers. It’s an outstanding collection and well worth your time.

[David Waweru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blast from the past

A really good read showing the birth and full journey of this important character in the DC Universe. While this book does focus on Hal Jordon, it manages to showcase other heroes. From the first Lantern Alan Scott to the newest one. Some of the best moments are here for you to witness, the highs and lows they face. This is a good read. Enjoy!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview, but I felt some parts of the story were left out. I wish they included Star Sapphire.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente recopilatorio que recorre varias historias de distintos green lantern.

[David Atwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

After four books in the Silver Age, seeing more complex storylines develop is really interesting. It's making me want to catch up.

[Michael Emond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow - with 80 years you would have though there would be some more interesting tale to draw upon. Maybe this is why I never bought Green Lantern books. Other than the Neal Adams classic run most of these stories are duds. Making the problem worse is some seem to start a tale but we only get the first issue of the story line.

Give it a pass. The only ones I liked with the silver age ones (and the Neal Adams stories which I had already read in other collections).