This is "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking," a feature spotlighting notable examples of retcons that don't fit into the framework of Abandoned an' Forsaked, which is specifically about stories that outright "overturn" older stories. There are many examples of "retroactive continuity" that do not actively abandon the works of the past. Some of them are minor, some of them are major, all of them are interesting enough to me that I figure that they are worth writing about.

Today, based on a suggestion from reader Kevin G., I look at the retcon that had Kilowog become the Green Lantern Corps' drill instructor.

Kilowog was introduced in Green Lantern Corps #201 (by Steve Englehart, Joe Staton and Mark Farmer), when a number of Green Lanterns got together to set up shop on Planet Earth. Englehart likely wanted to have as much variety in the cast, species-wise, so he introduced Kilowog, who was a lot different when we first met him...

He became a regular cast member throughout the series, although he was one of the members of the team that lost his ring at the end of the series. He ended up joining the Justice League as sort of their resident handyman and became a beloved member of that series...

So that was his status quo for a while there. The quiet scientist guy who was also a giant and imposing looking alien. That was kind of shtick, ya know? The guy looks all scary but he's really a brilliant sweetheart.

It changed with the miniseries, Emerald Dawn, by Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones, M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal (with Giffen and Jones replacing the original writer on the series, Christopher Priest, after the first issue of the series), where Hal Jordan's entire connection to the Green Lantern Corps was changed. Initially, Hal was either a peer or a veteran to the other Green Lanterns. Now, he came around after most of the Green Lanterns that we know have already been established. That change has remained the same in the years since even as other writers do their own versions of Hal's origin. Therefore, in Emerald Dawn #4, Hal goes to Oa for his training and Kilowog is his instructor...

Since Jones was the writer on the regular Green Lantern series at the time, he then worked Kilowog's reworked background into the comic, with Kilowog ultimately leaving the Justice League to resume his training role...

He's been used as a trainer ever since. The interesting thing, though, is that Hal's interactions with Kilowog have never changed, despite Kilowog being Hal's old instructor. It's kind of odd. Hal still talks to him like Hal's the vet, ya know?

Thanks to Kevin G. for the suggestion!

Okay, folks, feel free to suggest more examples of this sort of thing! Obscure ones, famous ones, whatever! Send your suggestions to brianc@cbr.com!