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Green Lantern (2011)
Green Lantern: Wrath of the First Lantern
Comics' hottest writer Geoff Johns continues his historic run on one of the best-reviewed and best-selling titles of DC Comics The New 52, GREEN LANTERN, in this crossover event!
The Wrath of the First Lantern is here as the Green Lanterns battle the Guadians of Oa and the Third Army, but who will win and at what cost? And as First Lantern moves on the brightest of the Corps for his reality altering experiments, we learn the shocking fate of Hal and Sinestro in this must read crossover event!
The Wrath of the First Lantern is here as the Green Lanterns battle the Guadians of Oa and the Third Army, but who will win and at what cost? And as First Lantern moves on the brightest of the Corps for his reality altering experiments, we learn the shocking fate of Hal and Sinestro in this must read crossover event!
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2014
17 people are currently reading
1223 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,716 books2,410 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
May 17, 2024
This volume collects Green Lantern #17-20, Green Lantern Corps #17-20, Red Lanterns #17-20, and Green Lanterns: New Guardians #17-20.
I tend to like Geoff John's work with the Green Lantern. He doesn't disappoint with this fun, and well-drawn, volume. Volthoom, the First Lantern, has been freed from his entrapment. He is filled with hate for the Guardians and seeks their destruction. The First Lantern's wrath will lead to conflict with all of the different Lantern Corps, from the Green to Yellow.
The story is pretty good, as Volthoom seeks to entrap or corrupt the Lanterns, one by one. It will be up to Hal Jordan and Sinsestro to somehow defeat the powerful foe. A good story, with some good artwork makes for a good comic. If you're a Green Lantern fan then you'll like this volume.
I tend to like Geoff John's work with the Green Lantern. He doesn't disappoint with this fun, and well-drawn, volume. Volthoom, the First Lantern, has been freed from his entrapment. He is filled with hate for the Guardians and seeks their destruction. The First Lantern's wrath will lead to conflict with all of the different Lantern Corps, from the Green to Yellow.
The story is pretty good, as Volthoom seeks to entrap or corrupt the Lanterns, one by one. It will be up to Hal Jordan and Sinsestro to somehow defeat the powerful foe. A good story, with some good artwork makes for a good comic. If you're a Green Lantern fan then you'll like this volume.
August 6, 2018
5 🌟
Nice to see how all the different groups of Lanterns came together to stop the First Lantern. Sad that Sinestro's planer was wiped out. Happy that Hal was able to be freed from the dark dimension. Also happy to see all the Green Lantern and other Lanterns' stories after the fight against the First Lantern.
Can't wait to read more Green Lantern comics!!!!
Nice to see how all the different groups of Lanterns came together to stop the First Lantern. Sad that Sinestro's planer was wiped out. Happy that Hal was able to be freed from the dark dimension. Also happy to see all the Green Lantern and other Lanterns' stories after the fight against the First Lantern.
Can't wait to read more Green Lantern comics!!!!
April 21, 2021
Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.
The Wrath of the First Lantern is a compilation of issues from Green Lanterns, Green Lantern Corps, and Red Lanterns from the New 52.
We follow the mainly follow the first lantern throughout this entire volume, as his is the backbone of this story.
The storyline is very easy to follow. Without trying to spoil too much, the first lantern is there with the guardians at the creation of the lantern corps, and has just comeback and now the current Green, Red and Yellow Lanterns have to deal with what he brings to the universe.
The colours used are very well balanced. Aside from the abundance of green, yellow and red colours used, every panel was never over powered by these three dominant colours. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be a part of the illustrators for anything connected to the lanterns as your colour palette is just so limited.
I always love reading anything from the Green Lanterns, and this was no exception.
The Wrath of the First Lantern is a compilation of issues from Green Lanterns, Green Lantern Corps, and Red Lanterns from the New 52.
We follow the mainly follow the first lantern throughout this entire volume, as his is the backbone of this story.
The storyline is very easy to follow. Without trying to spoil too much, the first lantern is there with the guardians at the creation of the lantern corps, and has just comeback and now the current Green, Red and Yellow Lanterns have to deal with what he brings to the universe.
The colours used are very well balanced. Aside from the abundance of green, yellow and red colours used, every panel was never over powered by these three dominant colours. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be a part of the illustrators for anything connected to the lanterns as your colour palette is just so limited.
I always love reading anything from the Green Lanterns, and this was no exception.
August 15, 2020
The First lantern. The one who gave emotion to the corps. The one who began it all. The omnipotent being who is now really fucking mad because the dumbass guardians kept his ass locked up. So what does he want? Well to rearrange everything!
This is actually a pretty freaking epic crossover. With the first lantern out he begins to dissect each major lantern because he feeds off their emotion. What he does is give you alternate paths in the past to trick you into feeling emotions. He especially focuses on Guy and Kyle which makes for the most interesting "What if" storylines.
But this title spans between Green lantern, New Guardians, green lantern corps, and red lanterns. And it hits on almost all of them really well. Even the red lantern stuff, which is always the least interesting for me, works decent here.
The final issue for each series really hits home. Especially the Green Lantern one and Green lantern corps. Though I do think New Guardians does wonders for Kyle's character development, and then Red lantern is extremely dark...which is what that series is about.
Overall, a fine ending to a lot of runs here. I dunno if Green lantern will EVER be this epic again. A 4.5 out of 5.
This is actually a pretty freaking epic crossover. With the first lantern out he begins to dissect each major lantern because he feeds off their emotion. What he does is give you alternate paths in the past to trick you into feeling emotions. He especially focuses on Guy and Kyle which makes for the most interesting "What if" storylines.
But this title spans between Green lantern, New Guardians, green lantern corps, and red lanterns. And it hits on almost all of them really well. Even the red lantern stuff, which is always the least interesting for me, works decent here.
The final issue for each series really hits home. Especially the Green Lantern one and Green lantern corps. Though I do think New Guardians does wonders for Kyle's character development, and then Red lantern is extremely dark...which is what that series is about.
Overall, a fine ending to a lot of runs here. I dunno if Green lantern will EVER be this epic again. A 4.5 out of 5.
December 7, 2014
A very pleasing ending to a nearly decades-long story arc. I loved being given a glance into the future of the New 52 universe and being able to see the ultimate fates of all the major GL players.
February 26, 2017
"Ya done good, poozer!"
This conclusion to Johns' run was pretty damn good, even with some strange thoughts in the end...
Not going to spoil things of course, so I guess you'll just have to go and read it to find out what I mean..
But overall: Happy to have been part of this ride... Big story, big ending, lots of action/love/drama/death/revivals/.... :p
Ok, 'nuff said... Go and enjoy!!
This conclusion to Johns' run was pretty damn good, even with some strange thoughts in the end...
Not going to spoil things of course, so I guess you'll just have to go and read it to find out what I mean..
But overall: Happy to have been part of this ride... Big story, big ending, lots of action/love/drama/death/revivals/.... :p
Ok, 'nuff said... Go and enjoy!!
October 12, 2014
For Johns' last major crossover (and final arc), I'd expected another long-winded cosmic fight. To instead get a look at the backstories of all the major characters and some possible alternate histories for them was literally revelatory and a much nicer way to end this era of Green Lantern.
The First Lantern himself was surprisingly uninteresting. I feel like Johns largely forgot to fill in his backstory. The bits we get are intriguing, but in the present he's just generic-bad-guy who wants to do bad stuff (tm). Ah well.
Overall, Johns' run on Green Lantern was clearly one of the most iconic and definitive runs ever. I think that the GL/GA run is the only other one that compares (and I say that being a big fan of the largely uncollected Jones run, just before the original Parallax stupidity). He created an intriguing universe, and DC's cosmic comics should benefit from that for a long while.
And now I have to decide whether this is a natural jumping off point, because DC's treatment of creators and fans in the New 52 era has generally soured me toward supporting the company ...
The First Lantern himself was surprisingly uninteresting. I feel like Johns largely forgot to fill in his backstory. The bits we get are intriguing, but in the present he's just generic-bad-guy who wants to do bad stuff (tm). Ah well.
Overall, Johns' run on Green Lantern was clearly one of the most iconic and definitive runs ever. I think that the GL/GA run is the only other one that compares (and I say that being a big fan of the largely uncollected Jones run, just before the original Parallax stupidity). He created an intriguing universe, and DC's cosmic comics should benefit from that for a long while.
And now I have to decide whether this is a natural jumping off point, because DC's treatment of creators and fans in the New 52 era has generally soured me toward supporting the company ...
July 22, 2015
Wow! So i finally was able to read the end to Geoff Johns Green Lantern Run! (My teachers were all off on emergency, so i had a lot of free time.) So anyway this story-line evolves around The First Lantern, the first lantern that the Guardians created, but had to stop. He's back for revenge, possessing the power to bend space and time so hes basically a god! The First lantern is a pretty evil guy, going around and torturing lanterns, he's like The Joker, he loves breaking people! I must say though, Geoff Johns knows how to handle a cast and a half of characters, so many characters are in this story, but each have a fair amount of page time, and play a role in the story! Overall this a great story!
March 21, 2014
Giving this 3 stars. I did not like at all the first part where the first Lantern attacks every lantern.
The second part however where they start to fight back was much better. The conclusion was good too.
Still I think there could have been a better end to Geoff Johns long Green Lantern run.
The second part however where they start to fight back was much better. The conclusion was good too.
Still I think there could have been a better end to Geoff Johns long Green Lantern run.
March 1, 2014
Really cool and fitting end to the epic ride Green Lantern fans have been on with Geoff Johns. Some plot devices I could have done without, but on the whole, it was a great and fitting ending.
September 10, 2020
End of an era kind of stuff as Geoff Johns leaves Green Lantern. This is another epic that follows upon the tail of another epic, Rise of the Third Army. A lot of John's arcs have focused on the hubris of the Guardians. He's also developed the legacy and mythology immensely during his tenture.
As such, The panel layouts have been generally impressive throughout John's reign (not just his but the ancillary books). This arc is where it really shines, when the First Lantern manipulates characters and shows them their other selves. It's a neat character examination.
Comics always have a suspension of disbelief, but I have a hard time buying Volthroom, and one there was "one" lantern. Sure, it's epic--but there can only be some many "most powerful entities" before it wears a little thin.
But John's does the great task of giving deserved endings to Jordan, Sinestro, the Guardians and the rest of the corps.
As such, The panel layouts have been generally impressive throughout John's reign (not just his but the ancillary books). This arc is where it really shines, when the First Lantern manipulates characters and shows them their other selves. It's a neat character examination.
Comics always have a suspension of disbelief, but I have a hard time buying Volthroom, and one there was "one" lantern. Sure, it's epic--but there can only be some many "most powerful entities" before it wears a little thin.
But John's does the great task of giving deserved endings to Jordan, Sinestro, the Guardians and the rest of the corps.
November 19, 2019
The supporting characters are better than the main villain which is a shame. He has the age old boring story of remaking the universe blah blah blah.
Again Sinestro keeps me interested. He’s definitely one of the most if not the most interesting and captivating villains in the DCU.
Again Sinestro keeps me interested. He’s definitely one of the most if not the most interesting and captivating villains in the DCU.
August 23, 2015
I am torn with this one. I love the idea but at the same time, I hate it. I love that it's a Green Lantern crossover but then I hate that this crossover took so long to get into. The way this first lantern guy just goes into other lanterns and fucks with them, turns Kyle into a pussy and Guy almost seemed like he was going to cry as he reflected on his childhood. I almost stopped reading, and I never stop reading a comic... a superhero comic... a Green Lantern comic. Yeah that one. When I cam back to it, I was almost like, na fuck this, I can just watch the animated show for my fix.
Then i realized about 2 mins into the episode, I've seen this shit millions of times, I still have yet to read this so I probably should finish it. Finally got back to it and it started to pick up. It was the first time I didn't look at this story as a crossover and just a big GL story. Still love the Corps and always will.
Then i realized about 2 mins into the episode, I've seen this shit millions of times, I still have yet to read this so I probably should finish it. Finally got back to it and it started to pick up. It was the first time I didn't look at this story as a crossover and just a big GL story. Still love the Corps and always will.
March 17, 2015
I normally like Green Lantern, but this was one giant mess of a story. So much of it made no sense and I pity the casual reader who just happens to pick this up looking for a coherent Green Lantern story. The final chapters had bright spots and moved some characters forward, but I can't recommend this to any but the most die-hard GL fans, and even then...meh.
October 25, 2015
Reviewed at Brunner's Bookshelf
August 31, 2014
Another great GL story. Shocking events but all worked out in the end.
October 8, 2021
"I HAVE TRAVELLED ACCROSS TIME AMD SPACE TO FIND YOU, MY FRIENDS. MY NAME IS VOLTHOOM, AND I COME IN PEACE."
- Volthoom to the Maltusians (the early guardians of the universe).
In Rise of the Third Army, the Guardians drank the Kool-Aid and decided that the problem with the universe is free will. They conspire to weaken the Green Lantern Corps and foster peace by assimilating all sentient life to become emotionless dullards like themselves. To accomish this, they take some power from Volthoom, the First Lantern, whom they've kept imprisoned for ten billion years.
He's just a little bit angry with the Guardians and also a whole lot of bat-s#!+ crazy. As an emotional vampire he gets his jollies from manipulating and toying with people's emotions. Kinda like Psycho Pirate.
While Hal and Sinestro were stuck in Black Hand's ring, this whole mess really shed some light on John, Guy, Kyle and Carroll. Simon Baz comes into the picture as a strong character who's not wholly reliant on his ring to beat some ass. Atrocitus goes on some atypical spiritual self-discovery stuff, which was actually quite fun, only to discover that he's still an ultraviolet douche and has been too soft on everyone. Sinestro plays heavily into the conclusion, with a nice side story set in the near future.
So many characters, so much going on to name it all.
Personally, I enjoyed this one more than Rise of the Third Army.
- Volthoom to the Maltusians (the early guardians of the universe).
In Rise of the Third Army, the Guardians drank the Kool-Aid and decided that the problem with the universe is free will. They conspire to weaken the Green Lantern Corps and foster peace by assimilating all sentient life to become emotionless dullards like themselves. To accomish this, they take some power from Volthoom, the First Lantern, whom they've kept imprisoned for ten billion years.
He's just a little bit angry with the Guardians and also a whole lot of bat-s#!+ crazy. As an emotional vampire he gets his jollies from manipulating and toying with people's emotions. Kinda like Psycho Pirate.
While Hal and Sinestro were stuck in Black Hand's ring, this whole mess really shed some light on John, Guy, Kyle and Carroll. Simon Baz comes into the picture as a strong character who's not wholly reliant on his ring to beat some ass. Atrocitus goes on some atypical spiritual self-discovery stuff, which was actually quite fun, only to discover that he's still an ultraviolet douche and has been too soft on everyone. Sinestro plays heavily into the conclusion, with a nice side story set in the near future.
So many characters, so much going on to name it all.
Personally, I enjoyed this one more than Rise of the Third Army.
November 1, 2021
This was great! An epic, sprawling story across several series (all good in their own right) that combine for a massive battle with many ramifications. It was all consistently good quality in both writing and art, and although the pacing could be uneven at times, the execution was solid. The Third Army arc felt like it trailed off at a point, replaced by the First Lantern. His plight and power was interesting, though with that kind of all-powerful character, their tends to be so many potential loopholes, that you kinda have to ignore all of them. His rise was compelling, though his defeat was somewhat quick, and it sort of feels like an epic CGI battle in a movie. Great for the spectacle, no so much for plot substance.
Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed just about every issue in this book, and though it’s not perfect, it was a fun and exciting read. I would definitely recommend both the Rise of the Third Army trade, as well as this book, along with all of the issues leading up to them.
Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed just about every issue in this book, and though it’s not perfect, it was a fun and exciting read. I would definitely recommend both the Rise of the Third Army trade, as well as this book, along with all of the issues leading up to them.
July 8, 2022
For the amount of talent involved in this book, this was an enormous misfire. The first two thirds of the book were all "Its A Wonderful Life" with Volthoom doing his best Beyonder impression. It was lazy writing all the way around. The situation was solved too incredibly easily. There were a handful elements that made no sense. Geoff Johns has done an amazing job on this title for a long time but his ending is rough. There were obviously other writers involved but this mess was Johns' doing. There were some good things. Sinestro's actions, a lot of the art, Guy's world expanding were some examples. The Red Lanterns and Kyle continue to be terrible. Overall, for a big event with big stars this was a big mess.
August 11, 2024
This graphic novel collection is a massive, sprawling rainbow-spectral spectacular (and say THAT three times fast!). Having read quite a bit of Green Lantern lore, I was well prepared to follow the avalanche of action here, but although a recap somewhere in the middle of the story does give some history I'm not sure that anyone unacquainted with the roots of this grand-scale intergalactic extravaganza would be able to navigate too well. Regardless, it is quite the trip and worth a look for diehard comics fans. I'm giving it a fourth star specifically because of the near-perfect, Neal Adams-worthy art of Will Conrad. Conrad's contribution, in fact, is the reason that I purchased the book in the first place.
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August 23, 2023I /get it/, but I'm not sure this stretch is 100% executed correctly. I'll save most of my thoughts on the ending (which is perfect) for my review of the Geoff Johns Omnibus #3, but... I got tired of the First Lantern's whole Uatu the Watcher routine real fast. So many wasted issues, when the core conflict (and emotion) is so much more than just alternate histories. The epilogues are great, though, and I think this is a great stopping point for all of these stories for me for the time being. But it's never the end.
February 25, 2021
Really solid story all the way through. It does feel a little drawn out at times but as a sort of farewell to GL for Geoff Johns, it's totally understandable. It was big, it was fun, and it summed up a lot. You could read it as a first time reader and miss very little but long time fans won't be disappointed. If you like Geoff Johns GL, you shouldn't miss out on this one.
February 6, 2018
Wow, the whole story. Apparently DC felt the need to put this out, as well as putting only the Green Lantern parts in the last volume of Green Lantern I read. At least this makes the story make sense
May 22, 2025
Geoff Johns concludes his massive Green Lantern Saga in a truly epic finale. Everything comes together in a satisfying way, and I was particularly pleased with the character arc for Sinestro. I've never seen him written so well. Amazing ending to one of the best comic runs of all time.
May 24, 2017
I think Geoff Johns finally did a good job in transitioning to the New 52
January 11, 2019
It was alright, I can see the appeal for true fans of "Green Lantern" . The storyline was good enough, I guess I am just not that into The Green Lantern.
September 15, 2019
Overall an interesting read with some parts that weren't so good.
December 24, 2019
A lot of overlay with other GL titles, so I felt like I was re-reading a lot of things. Still, pretty good fill in.
February 3, 2020
the colours? the dead zone art?? all the heart-wrenching conversations and what-ifs??? THAT SCENE with hal jordan???? holy hell 👌💯😢
June 5, 2023
This really isn't such a bad read as it has a lot of interesting moments.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews