Isn't It Really Now "Green RING", not "Green Lantern"?

[jtd]

Hi guys. I'm a casual GL fan, so I've not really read alot of the comics. I picked-up some of the Sinestro Corp story (cool stuff).

But...this question kind of struck me. It seems most ALL the emphasis is on the power rings, these days (years?). I don't know if I ever saw the John Stewart GL in the JL cartoon ever carry his lantern.

And in that great new splash page from Green Lantern #25, I couldn't see one lantern being held by a GL.

If I'm remembering correctly, from my youth (1980s) I seem to remember almost every picture of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), carrying his lantern in one hand; ring raised in the other.

So...it just seems kinda odd to me that the character is called Green LANTERN and what we're seeing is a big departure from the actual lanterns being important.

At this time, wouldn't "Green RING" be a more apt name?

This was just something that was bugging me, so I thought I'd post it to see if anyone else has been thinking this as well. Thanks guys.

-Peter

[Walter West]

In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power...Green Lantern's light!

[DDM]

He's called Green Lantern because his ring's energy source comes from a Green Lantern. On Oa, they have a giant Green Lantern power battery to house the Guardian's psionic energy.

[Buried Alien]

It just doesn't have the right ring to it.

Sorry. Someone had to say it. :)

Buried Alien (The Fastest Pun Alive!)

[davids]

At least in the begining and his powers were magic based.

[jtd]

Hey guys. Thanks for your replies.

I know about the giant lantern on Oa as being their ultimate power source.

But...there really isn't much emphasis on the actual "lanterns" themselves these days. Didn't they all use to carry their own individual lanterns for charging their power rings?

Now, it seems you can't find an individual GL who carries his lantern. Storywise, they've kinda of written the importance/prominence of the lantern, and it's
"all about the rings" now.

It just seems odd that a character(s) called Green Lantern, is seldom seen with a lantern these days.

Maybe they've moved away from the lanterns, because DC thinks they might be a more dorky element of the character, versus the "coolness" factor of power rings.

-Peter

[jv2k]

It just seems odd that a character(s) called Green Lantern, is seldom seen with a lantern these days.

Maybe they've moved away from the lanterns, because DC thinks they might be a more dorky element of the character, versus the "coolness" factor of power rings.
I don't mean to sound obnoxious but please stop wording your complaint like you actually know what you are talking about. The lanterns are for recharging and always have been.

There were also plenty of scenes before sinestro corps where Hal recharged a lot and there was even a big lantern charging scene during. Really why would you want the book to waste pages showing all the lanterns constantly recharging when there is a war going on?

[Rik Levins]

I confess I'm not sure what you're talking about. I can't speak for the Eighties/Nineties so much, but I've been reading the Green Lantern comic book since the first Showcase issues in 1959.

And to my recollection, no Green Lantern ever carried the actual lantern, except under rare and special circumstances. Hal Jordan kept his lantern in his locker at Ferris Aircraft and only accessed it once a day, when he was recharging the ring.
The only time a GL would bring the lantern along with him was if he was going to be away from home (i.e., in another space sector) for a prolonged period. Aside from recharging a ring, the lantern itself didn't do anything else and would have been pointless to bring along as a weapon.
Even then, it was usually kept invisible.

Possibly you are recalling "pin-up" shots of GL's that showed them carrying a lantern, or scenes from stories in which a GL spent time on another planet and would therefore have his power supply conveniently nearby. But they normally left the lanterns at home and relied on the rings.

As for calling him "Green Lantern", well, that goes back to Alan Scott, who I believe actually did use the lantern itself, briefly, in the first few golden age stories of the 1940's. The character was said to be inspired by the story of Aladdin's Lamp. However, I think a hero carrying a lamp just looked too awkward, so it wasn't long before the ring was used exclusively and only the name was retained.

[shaxper]

It's all about maintaining the copyright. The Green Lantern name never made sense for Hal or the Oans. As far as I know (and I'm ready to be proven wrong, here) there's never been a good reason given for why the power batteries are lanterns. They're not providing any light. I guess it works on a metaphorical level (shining light into the darkest corners of evil or something), but both the choice of a green color and a lantern charger has always seemed arbitrary to me. From what I can tell, It was done this way just to maintain the "Green Lantern" copyright after Alan Scott was out of the picture.

[Xevious]

John had it a couple of times in the show. whenever he had to recharge or something like that.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

It's all about maintaining the copyright. The Green Lantern name never made sense for Hal or the Oans. As far as I know (and I'm ready to be proven wrong, here) there's never been a good reason given for why the power batteries are lanterns. They're not providing any light. I guess it works on a metaphorical level (shining light into the darkest corners of evil or something), but both the choice of a green color and a lantern charger has always seemed arbitrary to me. From what I can tell, It was done this way just to maintain the "Green Lantern" copyright after Alan Scott was out of the picture.

That's almost certainly the reason.

[jtd]

I don't mean to sound obnoxious but please stop wording your complaint like you actually know what you are talking about.

jv2k, if you didn't mean to sound obnoxious, you wouldn't have posted an obnoxious comment. You must be a hit at meeting people at parties! :)

Possibly you are recalling "pin-up" shots of GL's that showed them carrying a lantern, or scenes from stories in which a GL spent time on another planet and would therefore have his power supply conveniently nearby. But they normally left the lanterns at home and relied on the rings.


Hey Rik Levins. Thanks for your informative reply. You know, I read what you wrote above, and I think you may have hit the nail on the head. Perhaps I was thinking of pin-ups shots, more than the comic series. I guess I had mistakenly thought that GLs carried their lanterns with them most of the times.

Thanks for that great brief synopsis.

-Peter

[HotRod_Tim]

I never really understood why it's a "green" "lantern", but I always felt that their lanterns were just metaphors for light against the darkness. Green has always seemed to be a random color to me, but whatever works. Besides, kinda has a nice ring to it. As for them never carrying their lanterns, I wouldn't imagine they'd have it with them at all times, kinda like having a cell phone all the time but waiting till the end of the day to charge it.

[icctrombone]

It's got to do with the original Green Lantern and his begining. The actual light of the lantern was supposed to bring Rebirth , death and life . They carried over the name for trademark purposes.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

It's got to do with the original Green Lantern and his begining. The actual light of the lantern was supposed to bring Rebirth , death and life . They carried over the name for trademark purposes.

Correct. The name, "Green Lantern", came from the original Golden Age Green Lantern, where the magical green flame fashioned itself into a lantern and gave itself to Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern.

Thousands of years ago, a mystical "green flame" fell to Earth. The voice of the flame prophesied that it would act three times: once to bring death, once to bring life, and once to bring power. By 1940, after having already fulfilled the first two-thirds of this prophecy, the flame had been fashioned into a metal lantern, which fell into the hands of Alan Scott, a young railroad engineer. Following a railroad bridge collapse, the flame instructs Scott in how to fashion a ring from its metal, to give him fantastic powers as the superhero Green Lantern. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Scott#Discovery)

In the Silver Age 1960's, the name was revived in the current Hal Jordan & Company version.

[Drift]

I know it isn't the main DCU it is/was earth 21 but in New Frontier it says that the lantern is omni-present and it can be summoned to the ring-bearer with a thought. Just think and it will appear. I always liked this explanation even if it does get in the way of the peril that the GL would be under if at low/no charge.

[skally19]

i felt my IQ drop while reading this thread.

[matt_hatyber]

in the sinestro war they had lanterns on earth to recharge. The gaurdians brought them.