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The Golden Age (1940-1948) |
 Green Lantern, one of DC’s first super-heroes, made his first appearance in
1940’s All-American Comics #16 -- which featured him on the cover. Green Lantern’s powers
came from his ring, which made manifest his thoughts and made his power uniquely based on
willpower. It had a weakness, however, to wood and could not affect wooden objects. Green
Lantern also had an oath (with several variations) that appeared (in some form) in most
stories.
Martin Nodell created Green Lantern in early 1940, the year super-heroes really boomed - the year following
Batman's 1939 debut and two years after
Superman burst onto the landscape of popular culture in 1938. Nodell was aided by Bill Finger (known for his Batman writing) and Sheldon Meyer (editor of Max Gaines’s All-American Comics, then in an agreement with DC). Nodell recounted the character’s creation in his introduction to Golden Age Green Lantern Archives Volume One: Meyer had encouraged Nodell in the winter of 1939-1940 to devise ideas for super-heroes. Leaving from a visit to Mayer in New York City, Nodell recounts,
the subway platform was crowded. There was some kind of delay; the train was not coming into the station. On the tracks I could see a trainman holding a red lantern as he checked the rails. Then he hit behind a pole, waving a green lantern, indicating that all was now safe. At last, the train pulled in, and I had a title: Green Lantern. It still sounded good to me by the time I reached home.
Nodell and Finger planned to use the name Alan Ladd for their hero, but discovered that was the name of a movie star. So their man would be named Alan Scott. Nodell worked on the character under the name Mart Dellon because he hoped to land an advertising job; advertisers looked down on comics work, a view shared even by the comics artists of the time.
Green Lantern was given his own title in 1941 with Green Lantern #1. He was also featured in All-Star Comics as a member of the Justice Society of America. In those days, characters like Green Lantern and Flash were not so far behind Superman and Batman in popularity.
Green Lantern writers included Henry Kuttner, his wife C.L. Moore, John Broome, and Robert Kanigher. Alex Toth, later celebrated as a classic comic book artist, did work on the title. Green Lantern acquired a dog named Streak who became the subject of his own stories. Streak in turn acquired the cover itself -- Green Lantern #34, 36, and 38 featured Streak on the cover but not Green Lantern!
By the late 1940s, super-heroes were clearly on their way out. All-American Comics #100 (cover-dated August 1948) Jonny Thunder, a cowboy hero, replaced Green Lantern on the cover for his debut. Green Lantern himself last appeared in the title, by then renamed All-American Western in #102 (cover-dated October 1948). Around the same time, Green Lantern -- along with the Flash and Wonder Woman -- was booted from Comic Cavalcade, replaced in favor of funny animals; the heroes last appeared in that title in #29 (cover-dated October-November 1948). Green Lantern came to an end with #38, cover-dated May-June 1949; it was replaced on DC’s schedule with the new title Romance Trail (the first issue of which was cover-dated July-August 1949).
The Justice Society of America continued to appear in All-Star Comics, however. There the super-hero relics of cancelled titles and features (plus Wonder Woman) were gathered against the public’s changing taste in genres. All-Star Comics #47 (cover-dated June-July 1949) was the first issue after Green Lantern’s cancellation. Soon, even that safe haven would be gone: All-Star Comics #58 (cover-dated February-March 1951) was the last super-hero issue; the title became All-Star Western with #58.
Green Lantern seemed destined for oblivion -- and was, from his last appearance in All-Star Comics until a new Green Lantern debuted in Showcase #22.
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