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This week it was announced that Geoff Johns was to leave his
epic run on Green Lantern after nine amazing years. Johns has turned Green Lantern around over
these last nine years, taking what many would class as a second string
character and made the series into one of the most popular books in
comics. With four spin-off books, a
motion picture, video games and television series Green Lantern has grown to
epic proportions and owes its success to Geoff Johns.
Johns first began his career in comics and DC when he
pitched the idea for Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., a book based on the second Star-Spangled
Kid (later renames Star-Girl) and her stepfather. The success of Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. led to
him being offered the opportunity to co-write JSA, a run that would go on for a
number of years and receive critical acclaim.
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| Johns' first work with DC, the introduction of Star Girl. |
From there Johns went on to work on a number of major comic
book characters, including Teen Titans, The Flash and even The Avengers over at
Marvel. However, despite how well received
and successful his time on these other titles none of them had the impact quite
like his time on Green Lantern.
It is important to remember that before Johns came onto the
book Hal Jordan had been dead for a number of years and remembered for being a
murderous villain, John Stewart had only just returned to being a Green Lantern
after spending a number of years crippled and away from heroics, Guy Gardner
was now a shape shifter and Kyle Rayner having exiled himself into space.
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| Hal Jordan as the hated villain Parallax. |
The Green Lantern universe was in a sorry state, but then
Johns produces Green Lantern Rebirth and changes the face of DC and Green
Lantern forever. Not only does he return
our beloved characters to their Green Lantern status but he also manages a task
many would have believed impossible, he redeemed Hal Jordan.
Over the coming parts I will take a closer look at the story
arcs Johns has worked on during his time on Green Lantern, the various spin off
books it has produced as well as the effect it has had on other media such as
film and television and how he has transformed Green Lantern into one of the
most popular comic book characters of our time.
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| The Green Lantern Corps. |
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