Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1

DC Anthology Specials

by Geoff Johns, Mariko Tamaki, Sina Grace

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.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comix

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2020

About the author

Geoff 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.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. DC got most of its long running Green Lantern creative teams of the past to come back and do stories for the 80th anniversary. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis give us a new Hal Jordan story. In Denny O'Neill's last story before his death, he returns with Mike Grell filling in on art for a a hard traveling heroes story of Green Lantern / Green Arrow. Ron Marz and Darryl Banks return from the Kyle Rayner era. Peter Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin write up a GL Corps story. Cullen Bunn and Doug Mahnke revisit Sinestro. There's so much Green Lantern goodness here.

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly solid anthology dedicated to a corner of the DC universe I usually have the hardest time trying to care about. James Tynion’s Alan Scott story illustrated by Gary Frank was my favorite of the bunch, but pretty much all the shorts here have at least some elements that I dug, and the included pinups were all absolutely gorgeous. Definitely one of the better anniversary issues DC published in recent memory.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually pretty great.

Similar to Batman and Superman 80th anniversary we get different stories of Green Lantern. Best part is we get multiple green lanterns to talk about. DC wisely brings back huge writers who have written Green Lantern before like Johns, Ron Marz, Tomasi, and more.

The stories all range from decent to fantastic. The highlights for me being the very first story about Alan Scott. Didn't know I'd be so touch by the themes and storyline presented here. I also really enjoyed Johns basically final goodbye to Hal. The one about the 4 main green lanterns was great too. I also enjoyed Jessica Story alot. Simon's was a little on the nose, and I was a tad Disappointed in Kyle's because I feel Marz could do better.

Overall though this was a great tribute to the name Green Lantern and plenty to love here. A 4.5 out of 5.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a great day of new comics and could not wait to read a review the Green Lantern 8oth Anniversary issue. I really hate that DC comics keeps milking the whole $9.99 anthology book thing. They have been doing this since the Action Comics #1000 and Detective Comics #1000 were big sellers. They got me with this one. I am such a huge Green Lantern fan. I have been on the series since Geoff Johns run and continued to read the series even now with Grant Morrison on the book. I still think Johns clearly had the best run but I still really loved Robert Venditti, Peter Tomasi, & Sam Humphries work with the Green Lantern mythos. I am just a big fan of Space opera and cosmic storytelling. I hope to publish and write my own space opera someday. It can not be said enough how the Green Lantern mythos has influence me.
Now, As far as this anthology goes all the stories were good. But there at least four here that are truly amazing and really capture the feel of the Green Lantern mythos. I would be ashamed of myself if I do not start by giving my condolences to the family of Denny O'Neil. He truly was greatest writer in the biz. If fact his story in this anthology was one of my favorites. I have read some of his work on Batman and little of his Green Lantern/Green Arrow stuff. His story was filled with humanity and really make Green Arrow & Green Lantern feel like real people. Next I have to say it is a tied between Venditti & Tomasi's stories. Both stories express how the Lantern Corp are not just a team of Superheroes but that they are a family. Cullen Bunn's Sinestro tale was exquisitely delightful. He showcases why Sinestro is one of thee greatest supervillains in DC comics period.I have always loved the take Johns did with the character. Sinestro is truly a villain that believes he is the hero. Without a doubt Geoff's story was one of if not the best. Hal Jordan will always be my favorite Green Lantern. Then I would say its John Stewart, Kyle, and Jessie/Baz. I see Jessica & Baz working as a duo. All in all this was a great collection of tales. The artwork was good on most of the stories as well. Geoff and Ivan are always great together. Definitely worth the buy for any Green Lantern fan.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any collection involving various writers, this is a mixed bag of stories. If you are a Green Lantern fan, though, it's definitely worth a look.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aqui no Brasil esta edição dos oitenta anos de criação do Lanterna Verde Alan Scott saiu no número nove de Lanterna Verde, fazendo parte do novo formato de publicações da Panini Comics. A edição brasileira, diferente da gringa, conta com uma espécie de gloossário sobre os mais importantes Lanternas Verdes atuais. Como todo compilado de histórias, e neste temos 10 histórias de oito páginas, estão presentes tramas que são muito boas como a história de Alan Scott escrita por James Tynion IV e desenhada por Gary Franke histórias bastante ruins, como a de Jessica Cruz por Mariko Tamaki e Mirka Andolfo. De qualquer forma as equipes criativas escolhidas, mesmo mantendo uma média na qualidade das histórias fazem uma bela homenagem não só aos lanternas verdes como também às épocas em que fizeram parte da história destes personagens. Um exemplo disso é a história da dupla Denny O'Neill e Mark Grell, que fazem uma homenagem aos heróis pé na estrada, de Hal Jordan e Oliver Queen, os dois lendo Walden, de Thoreau. Mais hippie que isso, impossível né? Marcas de um tempo que essa publicação faz homenagem.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice historical cross-section of all ring wearers in the Green Lantern legacy written and drawn ( mainly ) by those who have left their stamp on those heroes.
We even get a neat Green Lantern/Green Arrow story written by the late Denny O'Neil with some nifty art by Mike Grell.
I chose the 70's Neal Adams cover for the issue I bought.
I especially liked the back pages with spotlights on the main ring wearers featured with their first appearance as well.

[Lucas Savio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito gostoso ver cada história focada num lanterna-verde. As arte não estão tão irregularidades. Não traz nada de novo mas se tem um carinho especial pelos personagens eu recomendo e ao final tem uma enciclopédia de Lanternas bem legall!!

[Met · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must have per gli amanti delle Lanterne! Spiccano le storie di Tynion IV e Johns, su tutte. Ma anche i disegni di Reis, Mahnke, Sandoval e Villalobos (che non conoscevo!). Bello bello!

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is a commemorative issue that celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the Green Lantern. It is a collection of ten short stories that celebrate the anniversary of the Green Lantern and is penned and penciled by the best alumni from DC Comics.

This anthology is divided into ten vignettes with each story centering on a different or a group of Green Lanterns: Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Sinestro, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, and Kilowog. For the most part, this collection of short stories is written rather well with distinction to James Tynion IV's "Dark Things Cannot Stand the Light", Jeff Johns' "Last Will", Cullen Bunn's "The Meaning of Fear", Dennis O'Neil's "Tim Alone", Ron Marz's "Legacy", and Peter Tomasi's "Heart of the Corps".

In addition to the short stories above there are wonderful pinup penciled by Jamal Campbell, Bruce Timm and Dave Stewart, Rafael Grampá, Joëlle Jones and Jordie Bellaire, David Lafuente and Anderson Cabral, Andie Tong and Alejandro Sanches, Sara Tone, and Joe Staton and Hi-Fi.

These pinups are centered on other less known Green Lanterns like Jo Mullein from the Far Sector series (Campbell), Keli Quintela as the Teen Lantern from Young Justice (Lafuente/Cabral), Tai Pham from Green Lantern: Legacy (Tong/Sanchez). The issue ends with the Secret Files with a dossier of thirty-nine Green Lanterns and the Guardian of the Universe.

All in all, Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is a wonderful issue to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of the Green Lantern and the many that were blessed with the green ring.

[Rafa Araujo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Zak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great anthology that I would definitely recommend for those who enjoy Green Lantern. My favourite stories were ‘Four’ by writer Writer Robert Vendetti and artist Rafa Sandoval, where the Green Lanterns reminisce about their battles in a reunion and ‘The Meaning of Fear’ by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Doug Mahnke shows why Sinestro is a great villain and I enjoyed the twist behind the Green Lantern ring.

[Eladio Garro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all DC's recent anniversary issues, this one is, for me, the best. There is really no bad story I can think of (only one was OK), and I love the GL concept despite not being a devoted fan to the Corps. My brief opinion about each story.

1. And the dark things cannot stand: controversial retcons aside, I can't think of a better start to a book like this story, written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Gary Frank. The original Green Lantern starts it all, as it should be.

2. Last Will: The definitive GL writer , Geoff Johns, could not be absent, and his story was, naturally, amazing, although I thought it was weird Batman was included to be one of three guys Hal would send messages to, considering both men have a very poor relationship.

3. The Meaning of Fear: Cullen Bunn is great at writing villains, and his story is no exception. He tests a Green Lantern's courage, but fails and kills them.

4. Time Alone: Dennis O'Neil's final story. Maybe my favorite of the entire book, since my devotion to O'Neil is bigger than the whole Corps. Very human and incredible. Thank you for everything, Denny.

5. Legacy: I have very little experience with Ron Marz's run on Green Lantern, but I enjoyed his story, which is more blockbuster, but very fun.

6. Heart of the Corps: Another emotional issue, among my favorites.

7. Reverse the polarities: This book is so filled with great stories, I can't write general opinions about them, and this one, written by Charlotte McDuffie, Dwayne's widow, is no exception, perfect for the JL cartoon fans, although its climax feels forced.

8. Four: another of my favorites. John, Hal and Kyle pay tribute to Guy Gardner. Simple, but effective.

9. The voice: of all the 6 human Green Lanterns, Jessica Cruz is my personal favorite because of her psychological issues, so I wanted to have a story of hers to read with my very eyes and hands. It's weird, though, that three writers, unrelated to Green Lantern (James Tynion IV, Mariko Tamaki and Sina Grace), were included. However, Tamaki's story is still suprisingly excellent, though she exaggerates a little at portraying Jessica. Other than that, another great story starring my favorite Green Lantern.

10. Homegrown hero: The tenth and final story, written by Sina Grace, is the weakest of the whole book. It wasn't bad; it was OK, but not spectacular. And, since I have not spoken of the artist, I will allow myself to say Ramón Villalobos' art was much weaker than Grace's script.

Overall, an outstanding 80th anniversary book.

[Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary Special (2020)

This is my very first foray into GL apart from the Batman GL hybrid in Dark Knights Metal. I really didn't know anything about the character.

In "Dark Things Cannot Stand the Light" Alan Scott receives the power of the ring.

In "Last Will" written by Geoff Johns finds GL in an embarrassing situation. 🤣🤣🤣

In "The Meaning of Fear" Sinestro of Korugar faces 1961 GL and explains to him the meaning of fear.

In "Time Alone" Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern teaches Green Arrow a way to step back and center himself.

In "Legacy" GL contemplates being solo versus being a team of Laterns.

In "Heart of the Corps" Guy Gardner plans a surprise birthday party for Kilowog. Can't say as i love Guy Gardner.

In "Reverse the Polarity" GL learns he may be a bit too overconfident.

In "Four" the Four Corpsman reflect at a reunion on all their fights with Sinestro. This one got me. 😢 I take back what i said previously about Guy Gardner.

In "The Voice" Jessica seems to be an anxiety ridden lantern.

In "Homegrown Hero" Simon shows a terrorist the consequences of racism.

Overall this is a very good book.

[Rolando Marono · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta la estructura de este número. Se parece más al especial de 80 años de Robin que al de Catwoman. La diferencia es que en el caso de estos personajes (Robin y Green Lantern) ha habido distintas encarnaciones de ellos, con historias y personalidades muy diferentes. Tanto este especial como el de Robin exploran en historias cortas los distintos personajes que han portado el manto.
De todas las historias, en realidad fueron pocas las que me gustaron.
La primera, de Alan Scott es bastante bella y simbólica, me recordó al estilo de Tom King. Los dibujos de Gary Frank como siempre, están a otro nivel.
La historia de Johns sobre Hal Jordan es chistosa y tiene un final que da un giro interesante.
La historia de Sinestro me gustó pero no tanto como las otras.
La de Garnder, Stewart y Rayner no me gustaron nada.
La de Green Arrow y Green Lantern pudo haberse explorado mejor.
La de los cuatro linternas me gustó.
El resto son olvidables o malas.
Si eres muy fan del personaje este especial es un imperdible por lo que representa, pero en calidad da mucho que desear.

[Corwyn Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this sleek piece of scifi heroism up for just a buck in pristine form ($10 cover price) so: no-brainer. But usually I'm a little averse to anthologies (in comics) because I feel like they're more of a marketing plot to put less effort into something they can charge more for. Get a gaggle of creators together and have 'em spin out a quick 10 pages each, smash it all together, call it a 80 page spectacular and charge ya thrice the price. And that probably was the agenda here since I doubt any of these segments will have a lasting impact on the GL universe BUT...I really did like several of these little tales. I mean, I'm pretty picky with my reads (being a writer myself) so most short tales fall short of really doing it for me. But I'd say there's definitely more good than "meh" here. I was honestly pleasantly surprised with most of them, so I can confidently slap 4 twinkling pointy things to its rating and say, "yeah...worth the read." Check it out if you can get a good deal on it and are a GL fan. It's a fun hour or so of interstellar entertainment.

[Clay Bartel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought all the stories were pretty strong. I Don't follow Green Lantern particularly though I've read a bunch of stories. Kyle and Guy were my Green Lantern's as a kid in the 90s but I connected with the whole corps.

I feel a lot of these stories would land even better for regular readers. But totally enjoyable nearly throughout.

Jessica Cruz always having her anxiety pointed out comes off a bit lame to me though. Her story can feel one note when it comes up.

I will say the final story about Simone Baz was hyper cringe for me. So stereotypical and just not the right way to portray a character. When you make so much of his identity the on the nose obvious thing it makes him feel more like a religious and political mouthpiece then an interesting compelling character. Feel this was such a poor choice for an 80th Anniversary issue. I could barely read it. But hey I could be very wrong. Maybe muslim readers really are excited to read such a by the numbers short.

Over all this book makes me wanna read more from the Green Lantern books!

[¥uri ݁˖☘︎✟⚚☕︎݁˖ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this anthology, almost all the stories were great and even the worst one was still good, the tone of the stories was distinct and there were various distinct art styles ( but they were all great), I would even go as far as saying that some of the stories are definitely must reads (like the Geoff Johns one that has its pages reposted pretty often, or the last story by the legendary Denny O'Neil )

overall this was a spectacular anthology that I would recommend to every green lantern fan

Eu adorei essa antologia, quase todas as histórias eram ótimas e até a "pior" delas ainda era boa, o tom das histórias eram bem variados e haviam vários estilos de arte distintos (e todos eles eram lindos), eu chego até há dizer que algumas das histórias deviam ser consideradas historias definitivas do cavaleiro esmeralda (como a do Geoff Johns que tem suas páginas republicadas com bastante frequência no reddit, ou a última história do lendário Denny O'Neil )

resumuindo; essa anthologia foi spetacular e eu há recomendo a qualquer fan do lanterna verde

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary #1 is a collection of 10 Green Lantern tales that spans the characters 80 years in comics. There are stories about Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kilowog, Sinestro, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz.

I haven't read a Green Lantern book since Blackest Night so this was a fun journey down memory lane. I have never been huge into the Green Lantern books but I have enjoyed what I have read. My favorite Lanterns would be Alan Scott and Guy Gardner. I did really get into the beginning of Geoff John's run on Green Lantern when they brought Hal Jordan back. That was such a fun and beautiful book. I also really don't know much about Cruz or Baz other than what I read in a few Justice League titles. I may have to search out some Green Lantern books to read since aibenjoyed this so much.

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

Una colección de cuentos que abrazan la nostalgia. Así definiría este tomo. Si bien podríamos iniciar una crítica sobre el contenido de las historias, éstas son una breve reseña de cada uno de losnpiradores de la antorcha, esa fantasía intergaláctica con la que crecimos.

No apto para lectores críticos que buscan una pieza maestra o historias que marquen un antes y un después en el canon de los personajes o una especie de "secret files & origins". Son más bien, leyendas.

Leyendas, como lo es la misma magia detrás del poder de la luz de la voluntad.

Larga vida a los Green Lanterns del 2814.

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for these anniversary sets, though I have to admit this was not nearly as good as the one they put out for Robin last year. For starters, Alan Scott, who is actually the character celebrating 80 years, gets very little to do. He has the lead story, but we only see him in costume for one panel. The rest of the stories are relatively forgettable, though I did love the Denny O'Neill/Mike Grell Green Lantern/Green Arrow story. It felt and looked just right. I also really enjoyed the various splash pages and covers from artists across Lantern history. All in all, a fun, nostalgic romp.

We covered Green Lantern's 80th over on the All the Books Show as well.
https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...

[Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tynion, Vendetti, Bunn and Tomasi stories where the best. It's sorely missing a Morrison/Sharp story, but I get their series is super time consuming as it is. The Denny O'Neil story was bittersweet to read, given it's possibly the last thing he ever wrote and there's a reflective nature to it. Given Johns contributions to the mythos, his story essentially being a dad joke was super disappointing.

[Heather - Just Geeking By · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all the anniversary comics so far this is the only one that has even come close to living up to what I expected it to be. It's the perfect mix of heartwarming hilarity, adventure, comedy and hard-hitting moments that you've come to expect from the Lanterns. It's very much a team affair with no one stealing the show just because they've been around the longest. Definetely a must a read.

[Metro Owlets · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I've mentioned in my Podcast, I was a major fan of this anniversary issue! I would put this on top of my list, tied with Action Comics #1000 for best Anniversary issue since 2018. There were some stories I disliked, but I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of them! Between the writing and the art, I will say my top three favorite would have to be the Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, and Four.

[Bardo 彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decidí leerlo para celebrar que Alan, Simon y Jessica serán parte de la serie de Green Lantern en HBO Max y me gustó. Las historias son cortas pero todas logran captura la esencia de los personajes. Mis favoritas fueron las de Alan Scott (🏳️‍🌈) y Simon Baz 💚

[Javier X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic, every story stands on their own, and every creative team deliver, even the pin-ups are amazing.

Homosexuality, mental health, friendship, honesty, xenophobia, I’m amazed at how well all this topics were written and portrayed, every GL has a story to tell.

Don’t sleep on this one!

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Green Lantern fan. This book solidified it. I never understood the complexities of the characters until now. The bios in the last few pages is a treasure. And I got my book signed by Peter Tomasi so even more of a treasure.

[Juan Fernando Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una gran celebración de la historia de los Corps. Y se nota que Geoff Johns le tiene un gran cariño a Hal Jordan. Aunque las historias de Simon, Alan y Hal son las que personalmente más me gustaron, siento que todas las historias rescatan lo mejor de los linternas.

[Robert Hultman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool collection of stories. One not need be a big fan of Green Lantern to enjoy these stories of loss and anxiety and friendship. Some of the stories in the collection are more effectively executed than others, but there is a wide variety and I enjoyed most of them.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic and Superb.

This collection of Green Lantern tales is impressive. It features top quality art in astounding levels of colour. The tales were original and innovative. Very entertaining.