What Are The Black Lanterns?

Boneman asked me last week whether the Black Lanterns that I mentioned somewhat in passing recently are Bizarro versions of Green Lanterns. I didn't have time when he asked to provide a full answer, but now's as good a time as any to rectify that situation.

Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns has been slowly building up the idea that there are multiple "corps" at large in the DC Universe for a couple of years now. Sinestro, a former Green Lantern who famously went rogue back in the Silver Age, started up a yellow-based corps during last year's Sinestro Corps War. Where Green Lanterns' energies stem from their will power as long as they recharge their rings every 24 hours, the yellow rings gain strength from the fear they induce in others. Before long, Johns had also introduced a Red Lantern Corps (rage), an Agent Orange (driven by avarice, or greed), a Blue Lantern Corps (hope) and an Indigo Tribe (compassion). He also brought back into the fold the Star Sapphires, a female group of violet-garbed amazons who embody the power of love (and they're hot, too!)

And just like that, we had 7 colours represented, each with its own emotion and weakness. Some are forces for good whereas others are trying to conquer or destroy. All of which lead into Blackest Night (the 8-issue mini-series, event and storyline), wherein the final group has been revealed: the Black Lanterns. These are re-animated corpses which the sentient black power rings seek out in their graves, in glorious zombie tradition. However, a Black Lantern is no slow, shuffling creature whose only desire is "Brainsss". No, these beings can fly (thanks to their power ring), sense emotions in others, and retain whatever memories and abilities their host body had. Basically, imagine your dead grandmother brought back to life as an evil thing, telling all your most embarrassing childhood stories to your current friends and family. (What's that? Your grandmother's still alive and she does that already? Brrrr....) Anyway, you get the drift. And it's not like DC's been taking a holiday of late from killing heroes off... Let's just say there are oodles and oodles of Black Lanterns popping up everywhere now, and not a one of them is even a little bit fun to be around.

And that, in a nutshell, is what's going on in the DCU at the moment. It ain't pretty, but it is pretty scary!

If this topic has interested you in the least, you can read much more about the various-coloured Lantern Corps here.