# Who the Hell Was the Green Lantern? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791 "2002-11-01T03:12:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/21 "2002-11-01T21:16:16Z")
(Anti-Chick: they weren’t hate-filled, no-one went to Hell, the emphasis was on God’s love, etc) ---
**Author:** ![PhilAlex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@PhilAlex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhilAlex)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/22 "2002-11-01T23:14:09Z")
Spire Christian did some comic adaptations of “The Cross and the Switchblade” and “God’s Smuggler” that were pretty good. Anyone remember the Marvel Classic’s series? Saved ME a lot of time in High school! I liked the GL comics where he teams with Green Arrow. There was a fantastic story where GA goes to some planet and is on a giant two-pan balance, with 200 lbs of silver on the others. As the peasants take silver for themselves from the pan, GA dips farther in the acid. One thing I never got: If sinestro fixed his own ring (Removed the Yellow Impurity) why couldn’t Hal? PS: Who was that other Lantern that Hal had the hots for? Purple skin, skin tight suit… anyone? ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/23 "2002-11-02T00:14:16Z")
Katma Tui, I think. But GL was never my particular fort. Ey? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/24 "2002-11-02T00:31:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PhilAlex \* > **I liked the GL comics where he teams with Green Arrow. There was a fantastic story where GA goes to some planet and is on a giant two-pan balance, with 200 lbs of silver on the others. As the peasants take silver for themselves from the pan, GA dips farther in the acid.** That was later than the Adams/O’Neil stuff. IIRC, that story was around #110 or so…wasn’t there something called “The Silver Twist” (a giant infinity symbol in space) involved? \*\* > [@](#): > > One thing I never got: If sinestro fixed his own ring (Removed the Yellow Impurity) why couldn’t Hal? \*\* He didn’t. The Qwardians did, but it used some ultra-rare element and they only had the one (or two) bits. \*\* > [@](#): > > PS: Who was that other Lantern that Hal had the hots for? Purple skin, skin tight suit… anyone? \*\* Purple skin? Katma Tui had red skin and had the hots for John Stewart. Arisia had orange skin Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/25 "2002-11-02T02:39:28Z")
Katma Tui’s skin was more magenta – I guess someone might remember it as purple. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/26 "2002-11-02T02:50:20Z")
Hey, as long as the people who actually know stuff are checking in (i.e. not me) what ever happened to Sinestro/Guy’s yellow ring? I don’t remember seeing it since the whole Parallax mess but like I said before Hal Jordan era Green Lantern stuff is not my strong suit. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/27 "2002-11-02T02:55:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cliffy \* > \*\*Katma Tui’s skin was more magenta – I guess someone might remember it as purple. > > –Cliffy \*\* Shoulda been red, as she’s from the same planet as Sinestro, IIRC ---
**Author:** ![tsunamisurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/28 "2002-11-02T02:59:33Z")
QUOTE: “There’s only a few dozen of them but because they’re near all powerful cosmic busy-bodies they formed the Green Lantern Corps to help keep the peace and to each of these 3600 individuals they handed out power rings which did a whole lot of nifty things.” Christ, obviously I’m over my head among you experts, but doesn’t a corps of 3600 Green Lantern-like dogooders kinda diminish the Big Guy’s specialness? Suddenly, you’re no longer a designer label superhero. You’re Sam’s Club, off-the-rack instead. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/29 "2002-11-02T03:24:42Z")
I suppose it could have been turned out that way, but it wasn’t. Rarely did the entire Corps show up for something. It was kind of like following the stories of a Federal Marshal in the old West. Yeah, he’d occasionally team up with other lawmen (and women and bugs and whatever the hell Tomar Re was), but most of the time he was on his own. And on the rare occasions that the entire cavlery showed up, it was like a special treat. BTW, Sinstero’s/Guy’s ring was destroyed in Kevin Dooley’s (the GL editor at the time) “There can’t be ANY other character with that power in the ENTIRE DC Universe” rampage that f\*cked up a MAJOR on-going Legion storyline, ruined Guy Gardener, screwed up Alan Scott and Jade, etc. Fenris. ---
**Author:** ![PhilAlex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@PhilAlex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhilAlex)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/30 "2002-11-02T04:27:48Z")
Kamai Tui. That’s it. No silver Twist. That was the Time Trapper. Was in the Legion Comics. I collected them too. Still have most of them, stopped around the time Blok came around. Problem with the Legion is that you outgrow 'em. I mean, really. Bouncing boy? ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/31 "2002-11-02T05:00:14Z")
I’m begging you not to say bad things about Chuck. What’s next, dissing Tenzil and Lydda? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/32 "2002-11-02T05:22:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PhilAlex \* > \*\*Problem with the Legion is that you outgrow 'em. I mean, really. Bouncing boy? \*\* There was a reboot in the mid-90’s. Chuck doesn’t bounce anymore. (The current Legion series (at about issue #13) is pretty good, BTW; it was preceeded by two miniseries by the same writers, the quite good Legion Worlds and the stellar Legion Lost.) –Cliffy ---
**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:** [November 2, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/33 "2002-11-02T05:35:53Z")
Of course, if _my_ wife was Duo Damsel, the word “threeway” would be always on my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/34 "2002-11-02T05:39:25Z")
> [@](#): > > BTW, Sinstero’s/Guy’s ring was destroyed in Kevin Dooley’s (the GL editor at the time) “There can’t be ANY other character with that power in the ENTIRE DC Universe” rampage that f\*cked up a MAJOR on-going Legion storyline, ruined Guy Gardener, screwed up Alan Scott and Jade, etc. That storyline pissed me off so badly (I know, me and every other GL fan). That new GL series had been building a great storyline around the Guardians (Recap for those who need it: the Guardians had reunited with their cosmic mates and gone off to make a new generation of immortal, near all-powerful cosmic busy-bodies. They left one of their number behind to help manage the Corps in their absence. In their absense the Corps broke the one cardinal rule they had set which was that no Green Lantern should ever kill another one with their rings by executing Sinestro and caused the central battery to self destruct. Only a handful of rings were still capable of getting the power trickling out of Oa and most of those people relocated to Earth. Eventually the remaining Guardian went insane, kidnapped cities from around the universe, and held them on Oa. So Hal Jordan in order to stop him sent a signal into the remains of the central power battery and the Guardians returned. After executing their renegade compatriot they set out to rebuild the Corps. Everyone caught up? Okay, good.). The whole time in that series there were hints being dropped that the Guardians were not right. There was the early storyline that had Guy chasing down a group claiming to be the Guardians. The fact that they were willing to keep G’Nort. Their personality seemed to be a bit off, less aloof. So the original solicitation for that issue of Green Lantern was a second group of Guardians show up (this one with their mates and young in tow) and pretty much say “What the hell is going on here?” The new Corps factionalizes over which set of Guardians to back, and it’s the conclusion of fifty issues of build up. Instead I get Hal Jordan suddenly flying off the handle and deciding to kill all of his friends, his employer, and everyone else. If they wanted a new GL the existing story would have been a fine drop in point. They didn’t have to kill off a pile of characters, completely tear down about half a dozen others, and convert one of the longest running characters DC had into a mass murderer. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/35 "2002-11-02T05:40:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Of course, if my wife was Duo Damsel, the word “threeway” would be always on my mind. You’re thinking small. She was Triplicate Lass, you know. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/36 "2002-11-02T06:11:57Z")
She **WAS** Triplicate Girl (not “Lass”) but from 1980 or so until the Crisis, she was Duo Damsel (one her selves had been killed) and married to Bouncing Boy. Post-Crisis, she goes by the name “Triad.” ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/37 "2002-11-02T09:29:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Damned good! 😉 Actually, I’ve got only one (very minor) quibble: John Stewart wasn’t Hal’s backup. Guy Gardner was (GL #68 or so). But Guy got hit by a bus (don’t ask) and John Stewart was picked as a backup’s backup (GL #87 or so). John Stewart (with a personality transplant from his original appearance’s) would be the backup and Guy forgotten for 10 years or so. Then Guy showed back up for a 10 (or so) issue storyline around GL #120 or so, mainly so he could be put into a coma (a defective power-battery blew up.) \*\* I knew that. Just forgot about the early appearance.☹ > [@](#): > > \*\*He stayed in a coma until the Crisis when a renegade faction of Guardians revived Guy. However, they were sick of Hal’s wishy-washy soul searching and when reviving him, supressed any sense of self-doubt. Originally, this meant that Guy was just extremely gung-ho, later it meant that Guy was an idiot and a jerk. \*\* I didn’t want to go into that much detail. The post was already far too long. 😉 The details that have been added by others just shows how long GL has been around. I agree that Guy became an idiot and a jerk for a while, but it did make for some fun scenes in JL/JLI for a while. :)\*\* [/QUOTE] Also, there is a new yellow ring out and about now. The qwardians got another one together and gave it to a psycho. Kyle’s ring does not have the problem with yellow anymore, but he has had a few problems dealing with the personality behind the new yellow ring. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cmkeller \* > **One minor correction: the “Charlie” GL’s last name was Vickers, not Parker.** Oops, another one. But I was only aware of his existance from 2 stories, so I don’t feel too bad. 🙂 > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PhilAlex \* > **No silver Twist. That was the Time Trapper. Was in the Legion Comics.** No, the Silver Twist was in GL. It may have shown up eventually in the Legion (Although I don’t remember it there, I don’t have a complete collection of them.) But I am pretty sure it started in GL. Flying into it could send you to other dimensions or across the universe. I believe that Hal picked up Itty on a trip through it. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Cliffy_ > \*\*Kyle Rayner was the only Green Lantern for many years, but no longer. First of all, there was one extra GL ring floating around that still worked; a while ago Kyle gave it to his girlfriend, Jennie-Lynn Hayden, daughter of the original GL, Alan Scott. When Jen was younger she developed innate powers similar to a GL’s (and adventured under the name Jade. Also, her skin is green.) She lost the powers years ago, but fought by Kyle’s side with the spare ring for a while until he recently reenergized her innate powers. Also, her dad, original GL Alan Scott, has also developed innate powers like the ones he had as GL years ago; he calls himself Sentinel. Finally, in the most recent issue of Green Lantern, Kyle gave the spare ring to John Stewart. \*\* The extra GL ring just showed up recently, it was given to Kyle by Hal Jordan when Hal was accidently brought into his future and found out his eventual fate. Hal wanted to give Kyle the ability to create more GLs by giving him a ring that had the ability to create more rings, something Kyle’s ring can’t do. Jennie didn’t develop powers similar to a GLs. They were identical to her fathers. (And were powered by the same source. She had to give them up to save Alan’s sanity.) She had the same vulnerability to wood as Alan. And the recent JSA have had some interesting developments with regards to Alan and his powers. I haven’t seen that issue of GL yet. Still waiting for my order to get here. > [@](#): > > **Also, the GL of Apokalips managed to save his power for some time when the rest of the GL’s lost theirs, although I think it may actually be used up now.** Missed this entirely. Where was the story? Lok ---
**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:** [November 2, 2002, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/38 "2002-11-02T10:35:23Z")
What _did_ happen to Malvolio’s ring, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/39 "2002-11-02T13:38:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*She **WAS** Triplicate Girl (not “Lass”) but from 1980 or so until the Crisis, she was Duo Damsel \*\* Yer 22 years off. Triplicate Girl became Duo Damsel when Compto killed one of her selves in Adventure Comics around #342 circa 1966. Next on Maury Povich: \*\* When Comic-Geeks Quibble!\*\* Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791/40 "2002-11-02T15:31:43Z")
I’m usually pretty capable of keeping up with JLA history; I actually enjoy these threads whenever they appear so I can fill in the gaps of my knowledge. But I’m not catching the Legion references (I’m aware of what it is, just not in enough detail to understand the references in this discussion). Anyone care to explain? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-hell-was-the-green-lantern/134791.md?page=3)