SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains spoilers from Absolute Green Lantern #1. We suggest reading it only after you’ve read the comic.
 

No corps. No ring. No willpower. Just cosmic chaos in Absolute Green Lantern #1.  

The Absolute universe is a thrilling new continuity that reimagines beloved DC characters in unique and darker ways. The newest release in this universe is Absolute Green Lantern #1, which is a sinister and stylized take on the cosmic power of the Green Lanterns written by Al Ewing with art by Jahnoy Lindsay.

This story opens up with a familiar face, Hal Jordan, who is in shock and talking to himself about being afraid—but afraid of what? What happened? Green Lanterns draw their powers from willpower, not fear.

As Hal walks along the side of a highway under the hot Nevada sun, a police officer stops him to question what he’s doing (the Nevada heat is no joke!). Immediately, the officer notices Hal’s erratic mannerisms and realizes he has something in his pocket. What could it be? A weapon? Perhaps a Green Lantern ring? One thing leads to another and the situation turns hostile with the officer pulling his gun on the panicked Hal. What happens next will make you see the Silver Age hero in a completely different light. This really isn’t the Hal Jordan we all know.

Absolute Green Lantern #1 utilizes nonlinear storytelling to create anticipation and shock when it comes to these daring scenes. After we’re introduced to Hal, we learn that the town he is from has been crushed by some sort of cosmic force—a giant Green Lantern structure. It’s massive, the size of several city blocks, and presumably killed everyone beneath it when it fell to Earth. We start to get an understanding of the Lantern’s power when a biker going full speed crashes into it—his blood and guts now decorate one of its walls. We also get a glimpse of this world’s Abin Sur, who gets a bold redesign that adds to the darker tone of this story. Then the clock turns back and we see Hal and his friends before all of this Green Lantern chaos. Who are his friends? Two beloved Green Lanterns from the mainstream continuity, Jo Mullein and John Stewart!

Though this first issue focuses on Hal Jordan, Absolute Green Lantern will follow Jo Mullein as the main protagonist. The last scene of this issue give us our first glimpse of Jo as a Green Lantern with a new Absolute redesign. She’s in normal clothes, but has glowing green cracks on her skin—almost like lightning. At the center of her chest, we see an illuminated Green Lantern symbol. Her powers and character design look vastly different from Hal in this issue…so what exactly is Hal Jordan in Absolute Green Lantern?

What truly makes this first issue audacious is Hal’s powers. His abilities are vastly different from the Hal we know, and they are dangerously powerful and destructive. It appears that Hal is not a Green Lantern in this world—at least, not in any sense that we’re familiar with. His powers are pure darkness, devoid of any light, as if the blackest corners of the cosmos fuel them. Hal’s abilities visually and conceptually establish Absolute Green Lantern’s cosmic horror setting. Though I believe this Hal would be worthy of a Yellow Lantern ring, after seeing his powers I’m theorizing that he might be a Black Lantern.

Hal’s powers seem to be concentrated in one of his hands, which illuminates pure blackness. He literally has a black hand. I wonder if this is a nod to the original Black Lantern, the Black Hand. If not, I think this could be what happens when Green Lantern abilities go wrong—maybe the powers are corrupted or are rejecting Hal. In the first page, we see that Hal is driven by fear—that’s not what fuels a Green Lantern, so maybe that’s why these abilities have become unstable.

Ewing and Lindsay excitingly reenvision Green Lantern lore and history in this first issue. It’s dark, it’s exciting, it's different. I have so many questions—the biggest one being who are the good guys here? Is Hal Jordan the main antagonist of Absolute Green Lantern? His unstable nature fueled by his fear has coupled with his lack of understanding and control over his powers to make him incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. Though I don’t think Hal wants to harm people, we don’t know what he and his powers are capable of. And where does Abin Sur stand? If Abin was the one who brought this Green Lantern to Earth, did he mean to cause all this carnage? Is he responsible for Hal’s deadly abilities or Jo’s possibly more heroic ones? What are his motivations?

Lindsay’s art style is stunning and reminiscent of manga and anime. He draws his characters with so much expression, and I love his use of colors to highlight and amplify climatic and emotionally driven moments. He has visually brought to life these cosmic abilities in a gripping way—one panel in particular gives me the sort of uneasy feeling that Junji Ito is famous for. Ewing’s nonlinear storytelling and captivating fast-paced writing works alongside Lindsay’s artwork to create an incredibly cinematic first issue. To me, this felt like watching an episode of a TV show.

This debut issue plays with the idea of what Green Lantern powers can be in the Absolute universe—dark, dangerous and unpredictable. We see the total and destructive power of a literal Green Lantern that has destroyed entire city blocks. Hal’s powers are otherworldly and deadly, presenting this Green Lantern story in a new cosmic horror way. The bodies are already piling up and we’re left with so many questions. To see a beloved character presented as a potential antagonist with no control over his abilities exemplifies what the Absolute universe is: daring and different. This is a Green Lantern story unlike any other.
 

Absolute Green Lantern #1 by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay is now available in print and as a digital comic book.

Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and reviews comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.