Every once in awhile a story comes along that, for better or for worse, changes everything for a character. Superman had his Death and Return, Spider-Man had his Clone Saga, and Green Lantern had Emerald Twilight.
Reeling from the destruction of Coast City following Reign of the Supermen, the arc saw celebrated Green Lantern Hal Jordan turn on the Green Lantern Corps and Guardians of the Universe out of grief, becoming the villain Parallax. The move was controversial and alienated longtime Jordan fans, but the arc also had some redeeming qualities, so here are 5 Great Things about Emerald Twilight (& 5 That Sucked).
10 GREAT: Art & Covers
Regardless of the reader’s thoughts on the story, nobody can deny that the art on Emerald Twilight was simply spectacular. Striking a perfect balance between frenetic and emotionally nuanced, the penciling team of Bill Willingham, Fred Haynes, and Daryll Banks was excellently supported by inker Romeo Tanghal in presenting this action-packed and tragic tale. Containing all this were the iconic covers, with Green Lantern #48 underscoring the depth of Hal Jordan’s grief and #50 highlighting the birth of the villain Parallax. Particularly striking was the cover of Green Lantern #49, depicting a power-mad Hal Jordan reveling in his multiple power rings with a smile worthy of the Joker.
9 SUCKED: Only Three Issues
Hal Jordan’s corruption is one thing, but having it occur over the span of three issues is quite another. Granted, he did lose his hometown and everyone he ever loved in the destruction of Coast City, but crossing the line into a murderous rage should have taken more time for a hero of Jordan's caliber, even if he was overcome by grief. True corruption of that depth, of a hero that pure, would be a long process. It should have been a year-long arc at the very least.
8 GREAT: Pathos in Continuity
Continuity in comics has always been a spotty affair. Usually, events that happen in one title bear little to no effect on another title, even if it’s for the same character. It was refreshing to see that the destruction of Coast City during the Reign of the Supermen had a real effect on the DC Universe and on Green Lantern in particular, and wasn’t just swept under the rug. Rather than flee to the stars and bear his pain alone or in his work, writers chose to show a more real and human side to the destruction of a major city, through the suffering and grief of its most famous son.
7 SUCKED: Second String Consideration?
Still, it would have been nice to have the destruction of Coast City occur in the Green Lantern title. Granted, poor Hal Jordan may not have been high on DC’s totem pole back in the ‘90s, but such a high-impact event that deals directly with a main DC character’s life and psyche should have happened within the pages of his own book. Also, considering the ramifications its destruction would have on the DCU, there should have been more of a direct lead up to the event (a la Cataclysm and No Man’s Land) than there was in the Reign of the Supermen arc.
6 GREAT: Real Depiction of Grief
It would have been tempting to present Hal Jordan as keeping a stiff upper lip and bearing through the pain of having lost his hometown, friends, and family, but it took courage for DC to depict one of their big heroes struggling with his grief. In this way, editors and writers decided to depict a real and guttural reaction to grief that was rarely seen in mainstream superhero comics at the time. Readers sympathized with Hal and fully understood his pain, especially when he used his power to recreate Coast City in a fit of severe grief.
5 SUCKED: Corrupted Hero
The strongest complaint leveled against Emerald Twilight was by longtime fans of Hal Jordan, who couldn’t fathom their hero performing some of the heinous things he did in this story. Allotting him grief is one thing, but it’s hard to forgive him slaughtering the entire Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians, and betraying every principle and ideal he’s ever believed in.
A hero since his introduction in 1959, Hal was responsible for some of the greatest acts of heroism in the galaxy and was widely known as the greatest Green Lantern, which is why his actions seemed widely out of character and angered so many longtime fans.
4 GREAT: Hal vs Sinestro
There’s nothing like a good fight between a superhero and his arch-nemesis to whet fans’ appetite for comic book violence, and Emerald Twilight delivered that in spades. Attempting a last-ditch effort to halt Hal Jordan’s assault, the Guardians desperately summoned Sinestro from his imprisonment in the Central Battery to stop Hal.
What followed was an intense battle that started with light constructs but degenerated into a bare-knuckle fistfight that ended with Jordan breaking Sinestro’s neck. Visceral and brutal, decisive and emotionally charged, the battle was one of the classics between the two long-time foes.
3 SUCKED: Decimation of the Corps
One thing that was painful to watch was Hal Jordan systematically battle and defeat the Green Lantern Corps, almost one by one. Longtime friends and students fell to the renegade Lantern, who sometimes dispatched his former colleagues in gruesome ways to collect their rings, such as lopping off Boodikka’s hand. As many Lanterns as he went through, by far the most emotional battle was with the perennial fan-favorite Kilowog. Once Hal’s instructor and mentor, Kilowog put up a valiant effort before being incinerated by Hal, a horrific and difficult sight for Green Lantern fans to witness.
2 GREAT: Introduction of Kyle Rayner
Arguably the best thing to come out of the whole Emerald Twilight arc is the introduction of a new Green Lantern in the person of Kyle Rayner. A graphic designer by trade, Rayner was chosen by the Guardian Ganthet to be the last Lantern following the destruction of the Corps, the Guardians, and Oa.
The torch-bearer for the Corps for a long time, Kyle distinguished himself as a Green Lantern and member of the Justice League admirably, even defending the universe against his direct predecessor on a few occasions. Since then, Kyle has become a bedrock for the new and invigorated Corps and premiere hero of the DC Universe.
1 SUCKED: Unprecedented Power
Hal Jordan has often been called the greatest Green Lantern ever by the Guardians and his fellow Corps members and considering his track record fighting evil in the universe, it’s well deserved. However, despite his reputation and capability, he still shouldn’t have been able to overcome all those Green Lanterns sent to stop him by himself. Now, an argument could be made that his will was fueled by his grief as well as the extra power rings he was accumulating, but even all those advantages should not have been enough against a Guardian, much less all of them.