Binge watching television is a popular activity these days. This is when you tackle entire seasons of television, or even a whole series, in rapid succession. I thought that I would take this idea and apply it to comic books.

I decided to start with the 2005 Green Lantern series and make my way through 67 issues of the comic. Normally, I prefer to read the collected stories in trade paperback. Sometimes these volumes are called graphic novels. The issues I read of the comic have been collected in the following stories.

Green Lantern: Vol 1 – No Fear

This is the start of Geoff John’s run on title, and he is backed up by art from Darwyn Cooke, Carlos, Pachecho, Alex Ross. Ethan Van Sciver, and Simone Bianchi.

Hal Jordan is back as one of the greatest Green Lanterns to ever wear the ring. He returns to his hometown, that was decimated in the battle against Parallax, to get back to his regular life. He even gets his old job back as a pilot.

If you aren’t familiar with the Parallax story, this is still a great starting point to get into the character.

Green Lantern: Vol 2 – Revenge of the Green Lanterns

There is some more backstory that comes into play in this volume, but once again, you can get caught up rather quickly and enjoy the story.

The title refers to a group of Green Lanterns that were presumed dead when Hal Jordan was possessed by Parallax. And even though, he is back to normal and resuming his duties as a Lantern, they don’t want to let him off the hook that easy.

Green Arrow and Batman make appearances in this issue. As does, fellow Green Lantern, John Stewart.

Green Lantern: Vol 3 – Wanted: Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan is framed for murder and has a bunch of bounty hunters after his head. Even the Justice League thinks Hal has become a problem.

By this point in the series, we are beginning to learn that there are other colour spectrums that have their own corps.

Green Lantern: Vol 4 – The Sinestro Corps War

Sinestro was once the greatest Green Lantern of them all. He didn’t agree with The Guardians, an ancient race who created the Green Lantern Corp to help protect and keep balance in the universe, and tried to change the nature of the corps. He was ultimately banished from the Corp but now he has returned with even more power than before. He started his own corp and named it after himself. These new lanterns are powered by the emotion of fear and wield the power of yellow.

Sinestro wants to establish order in the universe but thinks the best way to do it is by ruling over all with fear. The war between the Green Lantern Corp and the new Sinestro Corp is a huge one that spans the galaxy.

Green Lantern: Vol 5 – Secret Origin

This book goes back into the past and retells Hal Jordan’s origin story as a Green Lantern.

Green Lantern: Vol 6 – Rage of the Red Lanterns

The Red Lanterns are powered by rage. They are just one part of the emotional spectrum. Green Lanterns are powered by Will, Blue Lanterns by Hope, Yellow by fear, Indigo by compassion, Violet by love, Orange by avarice, Black by death, and white was the original before it was fractured into the seven colours and corps.

Green Lantern: Vol 7 – Agent Orange

An Orange Lantern, powered by avarice, doesn’t want to start a corp or army like Sinestro did. He wants to keep the power to himself.

Green Lantern: Vol 8 – Blackest Night

I read some of this huge crossover event eight years ago. It was nice to finally read the series in the correct order and get the whole story.

The Black Lanterns might even be scarier than the Red ones. The Black Rings resurrect the dead and use them for evil purposes.

Green Lantern: Vol 9 – Brightest Day

Hal Jordan reluctantly joined forces with Sinestro, Saint Walker, Atrocitus, and Larfleeze in the last volume. Their uneasy alliance continues in this chapter as they find a white lantern power battery. No one is able to lift it, however.

This is part of a much broader crossover event. There are three volumes of this story in trade paperback. I might have to dive deeper and read them all.

Green Lantern: Vol 10 – War of the Green Lanterns

I really like the way the Green Lantern graphic novels are put together. I appreciate the way they have incorporated not only the monthly Green Lantern series but also the other monthly titles such as The Green Lantern Corps and The Emerald Warriors.

This book has some pretty shocking events in it. I didn’t think they’d be able to keep upping the momentum after the Sinestro War and The Blackest Night Saga but they actually did.

The is the last collected volume of this series and it ends with a bang. I won’t give it away, but it really makes me want to start a binge of the 2011 series.

My List of 2020 Reads – my annual reading b(log)