# Could Green Lantern defeat yellow in the dark? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733 "2006-07-31T16:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/1 "2006-07-31T16:41:42Z")
OK, let’s say Green Lantern’s ring still had its weakness to yellow. If he were fighting and getting trounced by Banana Man, could GL just flip the lights off and then smash him with a giant boxing glove? Or what if GL lured Banana Man into a photographer’s darkroom where the red light would make an orange BM (eeew)? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/2 "2006-07-31T17:17:55Z")
I doubt it. Don’t GL’s special effects emit light? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/3 "2006-07-31T17:18:34Z")
[QUOTE=slortar] I doubt it. Don’t GL’s special effects emit light? [/QUOTE] yeah, but it’s _green_ light, so the BM would be yellow-green. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/4 "2006-07-31T17:20:18Z")
Yep. GL ring constructs glow. Of course, they glow _green_. I’m not sure what color you’d perceive a yellow object to be under a green light filter, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be “yellow”. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/5 "2006-07-31T17:29:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] the BM would be yellow-green [/QUOTE] Maybe he should try some changes to his diet. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/6 "2006-07-31T18:42:20Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Yep. GL ring constructs glow. Of course, they glow _green_. I’m not sure what color you’d perceive a yellow object to be under a green light filter, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be “yellow”. [/QUOTE] A yellow object is yellow because it reflects yellow light only. Hence, it absorbs green light and does not re-emit it. An object that is yellow under white light would not be visible at all under only green light. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/7 "2006-07-31T18:54:21Z")
What if he was sporting wood, too? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/8 "2006-07-31T19:04:43Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] What if he was sporting wood, too? [/QUOTE] Wood _and_ yellow? Wouldn’t that be the Electrum Age GL? ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/9 "2006-07-31T19:10:15Z")
Green Lantern getting attacked by Bannana Man’s yellow wood sounds like a Very Special Issue, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/10 "2006-07-31T19:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Green Lantern getting attacked by Bannana Man’s yellow wood sounds like a Very Special Issue, indeed. [/QUOTE] And that has made all the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/11 "2006-07-31T19:23:32Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Green Lantern getting attacked by Bannana Man’s yellow wood sounds like a Very Special Issue, indeed. [/QUOTE] Its giving me issues, I can tell you that much. _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/12 "2006-07-31T19:26:08Z")
Which GL? Because Alan Scott would just LAUGH at a yellow foe, unless it was also made of wood. And Kyle Rayner would just laugh. During the Silver Age, on the other hand, a GL was once injured by an “invisible yellow” force field, apparently from the same source as the invisible pink unicorn (who, obviously, could take GL). In the Silver Age DCU, color was a fundamental quality of matter and energy, not affected by such niceties as lighting. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/13 "2006-07-31T19:32:54Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Green Lantern getting attacked by Bannana Man’s yellow wood sounds like a Very Special Issue, indeed. [/QUOTE] Not that there’s anything wrong with that 😃 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/14 "2006-07-31T19:35:24Z")
[QUOTE=Spatial Rift 47] A yellow object is yellow because it reflects yellow light only. Hence, it absorbs green light and does not re-emit it. An object that is yellow under white light would not be visible at all under only green light. [/QUOTE] Except that many yellow objects reflect an even mix of green & red light, which is interpreted by your eyes as yellow. So it would look green. Really, this is one of the stupider things in the DC Comics. Sadly, it’s not quite the stupidest thing in a GL comic. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/15 "2006-07-31T21:17:08Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] Sadly, it’s not quite the stupidest thing in a GL comic. [/QUOTE] No, that would be Gnort… ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/16 "2006-07-31T22:14:15Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] Really, this is one of the stupider things in the DC Comics. Sadly, it’s not quite the stupidest thing in a GL comic. [/QUOTE] No, the stupidest thing may be the cobbled-together [explanation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax_%28comics%29) for the yellow weakness itself. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/17 "2006-07-31T22:35:53Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] [QUOTE=foolsguinea] Sadly, it’s not quite the stupidest thing in a GL comic [/QUOTE] No, that would be Gnort… [/QUOTE] Or early Kyle. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/18 "2006-08-01T00:09:54Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] No, the stupidest thing may be the cobbled-together [explanation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax_%28comics%29) for the yellow weakness itself. [/QUOTE] What I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/19 "2006-08-01T03:09:40Z")
I’ve been told (but never read for myself) that Alan Moore once addressed the issue of aliens who can’t see the colour yellow in a story for the Green Lantern Corps back-up in the late 80s. There was a Green Lantern who was a musical note - a sentient sound. No idea what “yellow” was all about at all. I’ve wondered about Green Lanterns with yellow skin. Can a GL ring convey such an alien, or do they use a power beam to lift themselves up by the nostrils, and thus fly? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733/20 "2006-08-01T03:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=First Amongst Daves] There was a Green Lantern who was a musical note - a sentient sound. [/QUOTE] I think you’re conflating two of the unusual Lanterns that Moore created. In Mogo Doesn’t Socialise, Tomar Re mentioned to Arisia a sentient mathematical progression, whose name I don’t remember. The one who addresses the ‘can’t see colour’ thing is Rot Lap Fan, the F-Sharp Bell (which was what he and Katma Tui came up with when she couldn’t explain the concept of either ‘green’ nor a ‘lantern’ to him), who comes from a lightless region of space. He’s a physical being, but has no concept of light or colour, for obvious reasons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-green-lantern-defeat-yellow-in-the-dark/366733.md?page=2)