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Going all the way back to the Golden Age of comics, Green Lantern has been a core part of DC Comics. From Alan Scott’s magic ring to Geoff Johns’ eventual revampof the character in the early 2000s and the modern era of Sojourner “Jo” Mullein, the Green Lanterns (individually and as the group the Green Lantern Corps) have in many ways become the resident space cops of the DC Universe.

With the first-ever live action Green Lanterns TV series coming this year with HBO's Lanterns, Popverse sat down and figured out our favorite (some would say best!) Green Lantern comics you can read. This list doesn't focus on one sole Green Lantern like Hal Jordan or John Stewart, but instead on the best GL comics - whomever the ringbearer might be.

If you’re looking for a crash course on the best Green Lantern comics ever written, we’ve got our picks right here.

Best Green Lantern comics: Green Lantern: Secret Origin (2008)

Everyone loves an origin story, right? Every comic book character seems to have had at least three or four over the years, so it isn’t surprising that Geoff Johns got to try his hand at rewriting Hal Jordan’s backstory. In this 2008 four-issue run during Johns’ Green Lantern run, he lays a lot of the groundwork for Blackest Night while also giving us a fresh take on the Green Lantern mythos. Most significantly, this feels like the most we get to see Sinestro as a Green Lantern before his iconic turn as a DC villain. This is a great origin story that is only moderately marred by the fact it was the basis for the terrible Green Lantern film.

Best Green Lantern comics: Green Lantern: Rebirth (2004)

You know what people love more than an origin story? A redemption story. Hal Jordan had spent years as a villain following the events of Emerald Twilight, and DC had attempted a few times to bring him back as a hero. Despite some fun stories as Spectre, it wasn’t until 2004’s Rebirth storyline that Hal truly got to wear the Green Lantern colors with pride. While making Hal a hero again is important, perhaps the most interesting thing that happens in Green Lantern: Rebirth is how it establishes the key differences between the Green Lanterns. Hal comments that every Green Lantern’s constructs are different, each one reflecting their personality and strength, giving future writers free rein to lean into the weird side of Green Lanterns going forward.

Best Green Lantern comics: Green Lantern: War Journal (2023)

Though he was introduced far later than Hal Jordan, John Stewart became one of the most popular Green Lantern characters thanks to his portrayal in the DCAU Justice League series. However, this storyline is honestly one of the first times Stewart has gotten much love in the comics. Here, we see the tragedy that fuels him and the defiance that sometimes gets downplayed in other portrayals. It recenters his origins as an architect at his core, with his military training being an almost second thought. There are some really emotional beats in the first half of this storyline as John cares for his mother, who is living with dementia and slowly deteriorating. This is the John Stewart comic book fans have been waiting decades to get to know.

Best Green Lantern comics: Green Lantern Corps: Recharge (2005)

Green Lantern has always been much more than just Hal Jordan, which is what makes this spin-off comic so great. The two best-known Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, are off in their sector, while the other two human Green Lanterns at the time, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner, are sent to Oa for their own adventures. Green Lantern: Recharge kicks off the 2006 Green Lantern Corps series and establishes Guy and Kyle as part of the Green Lantern Honor Guard, allowing them to go anywhere in the universe to pursue their duty. They are established as leaders in their own right, and the series that follows leans into the wider (and weirder) DC Universe. Vitally, it is also the issue where Guy moons Batman from outside the Watchtower.

Best Green Lantern comics: Sinestro Corps War (2008)

While Superman might be the strongest individual character in DC Comics, it is tough to imagine a group stronger than the Green Lantern Corps. It consists of thousands of characters, all wielding the most powerful weapon in the universe, so who exactly can threaten them? The answer is the Sinestro Corps, a dark mirror of the Green Lantern Corps that is led by one of their most iconic villains. This series expands on the emotional spectrum established as part of the Green Lantern mythos and gives the Corps a force that is their equal in almost every way.

Best Green Lantern comics: Far Sector (2019)

This miniseries from 2019 is the perfect embodiment of what Green Lantern is really all about. It is a detective story in a fantastic sci-fi setting, making this the perfect comic book to pick up if you want a primer on Green Lantern. In a sector of space far removed from anything else in the DC Universe, Sojourner “Jo” Mullein is a Green Lantern from Earth trying to solve a murder and uncover a conspiracy. There are hints of Ghost in the Shell in the story without being derivative along with an exploration of the risks involved in handing too few people too much power. All in all, Far Sector is easily one of the best Green Lantern comics you’ll ever read.

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