gerard jones

If you know Gerard Jones from his work this century, you probably think of him as a comics and pop culture historian. And he fills that role well in books like Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book and Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes and Make-Believe Violence. But in the late '80s and early '90s, he didn't just write about comics, he wrote comics, notably for Marvel, DC, and Malibu. And he was one of the most important comic book writers in an era that's remembered primarily for its artists.

Many of comics’ most popular heroes have been around for decades, and in the case of the big names from the publisher now known as DC Comics, some have been around for a sizable chunk of a century. As these characters passed through the different historical eras known in comics as the Golden Age (the late 1930s through the early 1950s), the Silver Age (the mid 1950s through the late 1960s), the Bronze Age (the early 1970s through the mid 1980s) and on into modern times, they have experienced considerable changes in tone and portrayal that reflect the zeitgeist of the time. With this new feature we’ll help you navigate the very best stories of DC Comics’ most beloved characters decade by decade. This week, we’re taking a look at the Green Lantern.