The 3 main reasons why…
Green Lantern Is My Favorite Superhero
Shout out to my “West Coast Dad” Marc Armstrong for the awesome Green Lantern cutout!
#1 - Will
Will power is the real source of a Lantern’s strength.
The Green Lantern’s power comes from a cosmic source that is channelled through both his ring and an actual lantern that acts a recharge station for the ring. But all that power is all directed from another planet and is made up of completely untainted will.
What this means is that while the comics, movies, books, games, etc… follow Lantern’s fighting aliens or super villains, the true fight always comes down to will overcoming the other emotions that hold us as humans back. The lesson being will and determination overcomes, fear, rage, pride etc… as long as we don’t give in to them.
#2 - Imagination
A Lantern can make nearly anything out of the power of will that is channelled through his ring. What limits their creations is the ability to construct them first in their mind. Imagination has long been connected to intelligence, and as a person that has had a super powered tendency to day dream, I have always loved that imagination is a key piece of a Lantern’s power.
#3 - fallible
While super heroes are not always perfect in most cases they are not nearly as fallible as the Lanterns tend to be. Sure Batman and Thor each lose their battles and overcome obstacles. But that’s the key difference. Green Lantern (in the case of those from Earth) are often the perfect hero for the day because of their issues or insecurities. They don’t overcome them, they embrace them as what they are and use that to their advantage.
Hal Jordan, gives in to fear and through the consequences learns how to act even when it’s running through him. It’s not the overpowering or the erasing of fear or anger or pride that is the power of many of the Lanterns, but the continuing on. This is what makes The Green Lantern someone I can relate to.
In my life, many times I’ve felt undeserving or overly challenged because I was unable to erase fear, or I had doubts that I couldn’t break down and get rid of. The Green Lantern embodies the belief that if you have will, and use your imagination to keep pressing on no matter the way you feel, you can overcome any challenge, of this world or the next.
I really fell in love with these aspects of The Green Lantern as a kid and yet again while writing Lose Weight with Your Mind. Now as I put out new books and get reviews from strangers that I’ve never met, it’s scary, but I act on and create.
In brightest day, in blackest night…