Hal Jordan

Q: What should differentiate the Green Lanterns as Green Lanterns? — @jtlevy A: How legacy works, and how different iterations of the same idea have to be made distinct and interesting on their own, is a fascinating topic in the context of the DC Universe. But when it comes to building in distinct traits that differentiate legacy heroes, the Green Lantern franchise has been doing that job from the start.

On this day in 1959, issue #22 of DC Comics' Showcase appeared on newsstands. Three years earlier, in issue #4, the anthology series had introduced a radically new take on the company's super-speedy Flash character, and in doing so, laid the groundwork for a full-fledged revival of the superhero genre. In the time since, Showcase alternated through a variety of new features (Manhunters; The Flash; Challengers Of The Unknown; The Space Ranger; Rip Hunter, Time Master; Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane; Adam Strange), but with #22, it once again returned to the well of iconic properties, taking the name of a Golden Age hero and lending it to an all-new character. The original Green Lantern of the 1940s was a guy who channeled mystical "green flame" powers through a talking lantern (and a ring made from metal that he cut out of said lantern), and wore an eye-popping multi-hued outfit that looked like it was assembled by a color-blind tailor on his last day before retirement.

Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, gained his powers from a magic lamp and wielded the energy with a ring forged from its metal. As one of the first superheroes in what would become the DC Universe, Alan Scott was a founding member of the Justice Society of America and paved the way for generations more heroes, and though his successors come from a very different lineage, the name Green Lantern has always represented indomitable will.

As part of Sideshow Collectibles' partnership with DC Comics, the company has just announced a new sixth-scale Green Lantern figure. Based on Hal Jordan, the original design is the latest addition to the company's growing Justice League line-up.

Each weekday, ComicsAlliance brings you a carefully selected variety of links from around the web about comics and comics-related media, including movies, video games, toys, and whatever else might be worth noting. Quite frankly, these are items you may just need to know about to have a productive day. Take a look at today's hand-picked links after the jump.

If our weekly Ask Chris column isn't enough of definitive comic book (and pro wrestling) opinions for you, good news: ComicsAlliance is proud to present Here's The Thing, a series of videos where you can join our own extremely opinionated senior writer, Chris Sims, as he dives into comics history to explain why you're wrong and he's right. This week, Chris follows up on a comment from a previous episode by taking a look at the idea of legacy in Green Lantern, and how it compares to how "legacy" was used as the driving force in The Flash -- and how it completely failed to work.

October is finally upon is, and here at ComicsAlliance, and one of the best parts of the month is gearing up for Halloween with costumes! It’s the one time of year when even people like me who could never cut it in our Best Cosplay Ever feature can drop by the local department store and walk out with the ability to dress up as our favorite characters. But is that really a good thing? I have my dou

Movies: Henry Cavill "Gets all hot and modern" on EW's new Man of Steel cover, which I guess means hiding his eyebrows. Toys: Hot Toys' The Dark Knight Rises 1/6 scale "The Bat" vehicle is crazy big. Tech: Building your own Iron Man repulsor ray glove is totally doable with the aid of Advancer Technologies' (no, not Advanced Idea Mechanics) tutorial video...

Today is Memorial Day, which -- in addition to being the unofficial start of summer, the last day of a three-day weekend and the point at which ladies can start wearing white for the season -- is the day we in the United States set aside to especially remember and honor the military heroes who lost their lives in the defense of our country throughout its history...

Becoming a Green Lantern isn't really a choice in DC Comics lore. One day you're crashing planes or whatever, the next you're getting yelled at by Kilowog. The ring chooses you, Poozer! If you want to wield a construct-making ring, but you're a gamer without the power to overcome universe-ending levels of fear (a strong indication that you're sane, by the way), DC Universe Online's new "Fight