The issue ends with a Secret Files look at various Green Lanterns. Morrison has largely placed the Green Lantern universe in a bubble yet the strength of this particular property is the wealth of characters created that offers something for everyone. This was a great reflection on the past that should shape DC's direction in the future. Read Full Review

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super-Spectacular is an extremely fun trip through the history of the wielders of the green ring. Outside of the Alan Scott tale, they all deliver that nostalgia and sense of of scope of those who have worn the Green Lantern power ring. Most importantly, they focus on character. They not only remind the reader of a particular time or era, but reconnect the reader with why the Green Lantern concept is transferable to so many different individuals. Unfortunately, Alan Scott's story is unable to do the same thing, feeling like something new rather than something familiar. Oh, and G'nort (see above) wonders where his story is! Read Full Review

Honourable mentions must go as well to the fantastic art and pin ups scattered throughout the issue, and the eight pages of Secret Files text and art at the end. If nothing else, a great value book. Overall, this is a fantastic issue. It covers the entire history of the Green Lanterns, everyone gets a decent story from it, and whoever is your favourite you won't be disappointed. For me, the Alan Scott and Denny O'Neil GL/GA stories shone the most, though none totally disappoint. Read Full Review

Green Lantern 80th Anniversarybrings together an all-star list of talent and delivers on its potential in a way few anthologies have. In all aspects, this book is an incredible tribute to an incredible cast of characters! Read Full Review

There are some real bright spots to be found here, as well as a few clunky bits " but it's true that there really is something for everyone in this special. It's certainly worth the $9.99 price tag. Read Full Review

This issue is a love letter to 80 years of Green Lantern stories. It speaks to our times while having fun along the way. Read Full Review

Overall, besides the first two stories, there aren't too many classics here"but there also isn't a single weak point. This is probably the most consistently strong of these giant one-shots, and it's a fitting tribute to eighty years of the DCU's greatest sci-fi franchise. Read Full Review

Homegrown Hero - A good story that showcases Simon's duality and duty to both his religion and the corps. Read Full Review

There's really no reason not to pick this issue up if the emerald light has ever tickled your fancy. There's something for every Lantern fan in this issue, whether it's a character or a generation. A lot of good memories, nostalgia and what feels like a complete love for these characters from the creative teams involved. Read Full Review

DC went all out to celebrate the Ring Slinger's 80th Annivesary, and the Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular delivers all that a Lantern fan could ask for. Read Full Review

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100 Page Super Spectacular is a true celebration of its characters and their history. No matter what era of their stories you came in at, whether it be the golden age with Alan Scott, the nineties with Kyle Rayner, or even if your first encounter was with John Stewart on the old Justice Leaguecartoon show, there is a space in this anthology you will appreciate. And thats pretty impressive, given just how many lanterns there are keeping the DC Universe bright. Read Full Review

While there's some element of hit-or-miss to these stories, by and large Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular has something to offer everyone, whether you're a fan of Alan Scott all the way to Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. Due to the sheer spread of characters to cover, this anniversary special feels different than the rest, but I think that's ultimately to this book's benefit " there's such a wide diversity of themes and personal struggles for these Lanterns to embark upon that no two stories feel the same. Read Full Review

For the full blow-by-blow review (including some actually good highlight moments), check out our video review below. Read Full Review

Guy Gardner and Kilowog are given a tale with a fun twist, Sinestro tortures a Green Lantern in his story, and Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz overcome fear and hatred respectively in their solo tales. Like similar recent one-shots from DC, this one's mostly for fans. Read Full Review

I can't give this anything less than a 10. All these writers came back to perfectly represent all eras of GL, and the best GL had plenty of attention (Guy Gardner).

RIP Denny O'Neil. You were a great Batman and GL/GA writer. You also brought us The Question.

Wow, who would have thought that Green Lantern would get the best treatment out of all these dumb celebration issues that DC has been doing. I think I liked every story in this issue. Starts off with an great story by Tynion and Gary Frank and keeps on going. The art is great, all the stories are fun to read. Definitely recommend this one if you are a fan of Green Lantern

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Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

How are they dumb?

allenquanobi - Jun 23, 2020

They're all cash grabs, the only ones that should have gotten celebrations are Action Comics and Detective for hitting 1000, but DC realized they sell like gang busters, so they decided to do a celebration issue for all their characters even the Joker

Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

All of them were 80th anniversaries, just like this one is. If anything, this is a damn cash grab just as much as Joker and Flash.

allenquanobi - Jun 23, 2020

that's what i'm saying. all of them are cash grabs, only batman, wonder woman, and superman should have gotten one, since those are the tent poles of DC

Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

Uh, what? Literally every single one of these characters getting 80th were because they were extremely popular. Flash isn't a tent pole? Nor is Joker, one of the biggest bads in DC?

allenquanobi - Jun 23, 2020

Correct, I think only superman, Batman, and wonder woman should get these kind of celebration issues. Those three are the Trinity of DC, every other hero is not as popular as those 3 at DC. You bring up the 80th, that doesn't warrant a celebration. The 100th anniversary probably, but the 80th? No it doesn't. Batman and Superman got those issues because it was the 1000th issue of action and detective, now that's worth celebrating. It's an accomplishment.

allenquanobi - Jun 23, 2020

If celebrating an 80th anniversary is all it takes, then every version of Batman, every version of Superman, every version of any hero should get their 80th anniversary issue. It's nonsense and only exists because action and detective sold well for their 1000th issues so DC wants to capitalize. I'm not even faulting that because its a smart marketing tactic and making money is important

Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

If that was the case, why isnt Detective Comics 1027 picking up any heat. Cause that marks 1000 issues of Batman, literally. Detective COmics 1000 as well as all of these anniversaries serve one function, celebrating 4/5th the way until 100 years. When did I talk about versions of Superman and Batman. That is completely out of the scope I was talking about. Celebrating how long a hero has been around if fundamentally something worth celebrating. Is Cap Marvel 150 a celebration?

Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

Btw, you see literally why the were celebrated. They each have a 80th birthday sticker and their trailers both celebrated their 80 year anniversary.. Wonder Woman hasn't even reached 1000 issues, why does she deserve an anniversary, yet Flash, who came out before her as well as being critical in DC continuity, doesn't?

allenquanobi - Jun 23, 2020

It's part of the reasoning above that I said lol. The DC Trinity is Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Those are the most popular DC heroes and are some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture. The flash and other characters are not. I'm fine with superman, Batman, and wonder woman getting celebrations, but for their 1000th issue mostly. I don't care about their 80th year anniversary.

Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

So Flash isn't? Who gives a fuck about pop culture. This is DC Culture. Flash is integral to DC as a universe and a publisher. He somehow has both a super successful show and a movie on the way. Tell me how he "| isn't " pop culture. Just cause he ain't Trinity doesn't mean he isn't a pillar to DC as a company. Thats what you are getting at right. The only way to get an anniversary is to be in the Trinity. IF not, welp. Flash and Green Lantern don't deserve it because they aren't Trinity,

Liem Duong - Jun 23, 2020

And lets be real, as much as I Love WW, Joker is far more impactful than her if you wanna talk pop. WW hasn't even reached 1000, yet you are okay with her having it because she is in the Trinity. Your logic makes zero sense. The Trinity ain't everything, and in DC guys like Joker and Flash are considered just as important. Its only like 5-10 people who even receive these. You don't care bout their 80th anniversary, but everybody else does, and its a legit reason to celebrate, just not for you.

allenquanobi - Jun 23, 2020

I mean sure. I said above for the Trinity I'm more lenient towards 80th anniversaries and such. But for the rest not really. But it is my opinion, obviously you think differently. And if you see my reviews of these books, I actually liked detective 1000 and action 1000, but for the other ones they're unnecessary, but again that's an opinion.

Amazing Psycamorean - Jun 23, 2020

Detective #1027 will be another giant anthology like Detective #1000 and these other 80th anniversary one-shots. These are all unnecessary, but they make a ton of money, so that's why they keep coming.

Amazing Psycamorean - Jun 23, 2020

I almost always dislike anthologies. I feel like most creators can't tell interesting stories with the reduced page count, and therefore it's a waste of time to read, so I'm much more critical of the constant celebratory anthologies, but it makes sense from a monetary standpoint for DC to keep pumping these out.

Amazing Psycamorean - Jun 23, 2020

I think to defend these as something more than a cash grab is a bit naive, as it's pretty obvious that's what they are. Action and Detective sold well, and then the next year, we see, what, 7 more of these anthologies? Assuming there's no more to be announced this year?

Nihilist - Jun 24, 2020

Undoubtedly these are cynical cash grabs, but some of them may contain some artistic value. Some anthologies are just more equal than others, and honestly, I'll take 80th anniversaries, necessary or not, over any of these gimmicky "sad and bleak post apo", "hot summer" or "spooky halloween" collections any time.

Amazing Psycamorean - Jun 24, 2020

Oh don't worry, they have one of those summer anthologies coming soon. This time focused on cybernetics. Almost forgot about those.

Nihilist - Jun 24, 2020

"Oh shit, here we go again..."

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Jun 24, 2020

Yeah, I don't think these are dumb. Especially not Detective 1000 or Action 1000. Those were huge milestones. 80 years is also a nice milestone. At least they didn't call them DC #1000 *cough*

Amazing Psycamorean - Jun 24, 2020

Yeah, I agree that 80 years is a nice, profitable milestone. And you know, if semantics were profitable...

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My favourite Green Lantern book in a longgg time, Alan Scott's story will definitely have
people talking!

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TheHyruleElf - Jun 23, 2020

Sooo, Alan Scott is bi? I mean, he still had kids, but it is implied he was attracted to mean..soo I'm guessing he's bi?

axdn - Jun 23, 2020

I am not sure, but I am excited to ser how it unfolds un future stories!

Toonstrack - Jun 24, 2020

Man I read that story and completely missed the subtext lol but a good story nonetheless

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This my friends, is how you make an anniversary lineup!

After the absolute dogshit that was Detective 1000 (and the mediocre ones: WW 750, Flash 750, Robin 80th, and Cat 80th, the Joker 80th was pretty good), we have finally received a perfect special.

Tomasi and Vendetti's stories stood out to me as the best, while Johns + O'Neil (RIP) + Bunn + Marz were fantastic nonetheless. I love Jess and Simon, but I think that their stories could have resonated more (then again, they were created relatively recently).

The John Stewart and Hawkgirl was just weird (I was VixenXJohn back in JLU), and I don't like how McDuffie wrote them.

The Alan Scott origin was a perspective change carbon copy of his first appearance, but they added the gay revamp from Earth 2. While I think it worked for that story, I can't say the same for this since Alan's son Obsidian was also gay pre-N52. Having doubts on if this will play out tastefully; no more Harlequin marriage while Jennie and Todd are going to have to come from somewhere. more

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Batman Jones - Jun 24, 2020

No reason he can't have been married with kids. I have several friends that were naturally born to a gay father or mother that since realized or acknowledged to themselves they were gay and got divorced to lead a more authentic life. I've been hoping that when they brought back the JSA one (or more) of them would be gay and that they'd have been closeted as well, because it's an important story and it makes most sense to tell it with a character from an older generation.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Jun 28, 2020

It is possible he is bisexual.

Batman Jones - Jun 28, 2020

It is also possible he's gay. As above, gay men have biological children all the time. Neither possibility means some new solution need be found for Obsidian, Jade, or even his marriage to Harlequin.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Jun 28, 2020

He really loved his wife. He even stayed with her when he had his youth renewed as Sentinnel. I am not sure how they will handle that without lessening that love, but I agree that the change will deliver a very interesting story because of the time period he comes from. It has added a lot of potential depth and made Alan Scott very relevant again. As an Alan Scott fan, I am onboard.

Amazing Psycamorean - Jun 28, 2020

It could be a romantic attraction without the sexual attraction.

Batman Jones - Jun 29, 2020

Glad you're on board, Br'er. YourGreenMuse is right but I'd take it a little further... Until the 80s or 90s or even more recently, a lot of gay people didn't come out even to themselves. Were all of the marriages and all of the children outside of either sex or love? I'd say not at all. I'd say that, even when one spouse was aware, they could still be very much in love. They could also have a great sex life, even if the gay person was not leading a totally unauthentic life. More...

Batman Jones - Jun 29, 2020

I've know so many people that came out to themselves and others in recent decades or years that were very much in love with their spouses. One can have great sex outside of love and great romantic love outside of sex. We are complicated. In the past that meant a sort of hiding, in the present it means coming to terms with how complex sexuality and love actually are. But they are not mutually exclusive.

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Legacy

Out of all the anthologies, including DC and AC, this tied with Joker and AC is prob the best one. Tbh, all of these anthologies DC have been pumping out were pretty good, the worst one being WW wasn't even that bad.

To me, there were no standouts, because all of them were great. From Tynion to Lemire to Marz, even Tamaki, all of their stories were cool. I guess that is the charm of Green Lantern as well.

Like Flash, I was never really a big GL guy, but that won't stop you from enjoying this 100 page special and opening your eyes to the legacy GL has bestowed upon us these past 80 years.

We get stories on alot of different Green Lanterns in DC history, from Alan Scott the Hal Jordan to Jessica Cruz, almost all the lanterns get a spotlight, which is probably why these stories were so good. All of them were different because they were dealing with different people.


Shout out to the great late Denny O'Neil, one of the staples writers of DC heyday, and finishing his legacy off with a heart-touching Green Lantern tribute, one of his most revered characters, before ascending to comic book hall of fame.

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Hands down the best celebratory anthology we've seen from DC so far, beating even Action Comics #1000. There's not one bad story here, not even a mediocre one. Even the one written by Mariko Tamaki of all the people felt at least fine, albeit I won't lie, I'm pretty salty how much Jessica Cruz has been sidelined in this book.

The collection consists of 10 different, extremely diverse and unique stories. There's something that honors the golden age and offers modern readers a glimpse of what used to be (James Tynion's story with Gary Frank's fantastic art, similar in a way to Geoff Johns' Superman short about the car from Action Comics #1 cover). There's something funny to laugh to (Johns' surprising Hal story). And there's something heartwarming as well (Tomasi's Kilowog and Guy adventure).
With such a diverse roster of characters in the corps, everyone should find a story to suit their tastes, that being said, though, not every lantern receives equal amount of time in the spotlight here. Hal, unsurprisingly, is the lead star here, the rest of the earthling corps members each have their own 5 minutes as well, each leading one story, sometimes maing super small cameos in others.

Funnily enough, DC decided no to give Jo and Keli - two newest ring bearers, any attention in this book, which kinda caught me off guard. I mean feel free to say "they're new and haven't earned their place next to Hal, Jess, Kyle and co. yet" but from the marketing perspective, one could assume the editorial would want to promote other comics they publish. Cross-promotion 101, hello. more

A fine anthology.

Entertaining but mildly disappointing, with most of the stories covering familiar ground. The final Denny O'Neil story works best as a coda on his remarkable career. The best stories were the first and last.

My experience of this comic was curated, but what I read I enjoyed. This might have inflated my score but I’m not sorry.

Not a fan of anthologies, but maybe this will be okay.

"Dark Things Cannot Stand the Light" is a solid opener, and I don't mind if Alan Scott is gay now. I wonder if this is part of an initiative on DC's part or if Tynion just decided to do it. This is his best work in a while, honestly.

"Last Will" was fun. I don't have much to say about it, but it worked.

"The Meaning of Fear" was fine. I could've done without it. It's a step down from the first two stories.

"Time Alone" was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. I've never read Hard Traveling Heroes, but I think I may give it a shot.

"Legacy" was pretty good. I was less enthused with it, but it didn't overstay its welcome.

"Heart of the Corps" was very similar to the previous story. It didn't overstay its welcome.

"Reverse the Polarity" was fine. I didn't really enjoy it much. It existed.

"Four" was alright. I thought it was a bit hackneyed, but I didn't hate it.

"The Voice" was good. I didn't mind it.

"Homegrown Hero" was... Not awful, but it falls into this trap of being tone deaf. This tends to happen when a bad writer tries to make a point. I'm glad they decided to end the anthology on that of all things. more

A mixed bag of stories.