Green Lantern #130
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeGreen Lantern #130 (July 1980) marks a structural turning point for the series: it launched the first Green Lantern Corps backup feature, introducing readers to the idea that alien Lanterns could carry solo stories of their own — a creative seed that would grow into the dedicated Tales of the Green Lantern Corps franchise. The backup's debut character, Arkkis Chummuck of Space Sector 3014, was one of the very first Corps members to receive a full origin told entirely through a backup slot, setting a template that dozens of alien Lanterns would follow throughout the decade. His morally complex origin — a civilian archivist who defeats a Green Lantern in honorable combat, inherits the ring by that very act, and then faces a Corps tribunal for consuming his fallen enemy according to his people's customs — pushed the concept of what a 'hero' could look like in a universe with genuinely alien ethics, anticipating the more nuanced Corps world-building of the 1980s. The issue also captures the precise editorial moment when Denny O'Neil's long tenure ended and the title began its transitional stretch under new writers, making it a clean dividing line between two distinct eras of the Bronze Age book.
In "Sonar's Sonic-Atomic Attack," Green Lantern faces a bizarre threat as the sonic-powered villain Sonar unleashes a wave of destructive energy, forcing Hal Jordan to confront both the physical danger and the psychological toll of constant vigilance. Written by a team that includes Curt Swan on art and Vince Colletta on inks, this 1980 issue delivers a standout moment in the Green Lantern mythos, with Brian Bolland’s dynamic cover capturing the chaos in bold, striking detail.
In "Sonar's Sonic-Atomic Attack," Jo, a former military pilot turned rogue, leverages his technical expertise to acquire a fleet of aircraft from Ferris Aircraft, raising alarms for Green Lantern. Though the surface appears peaceful, the Green Lantern remains wary—his instincts prove correct as he prepares to confront the hidden threat Sonar is poised to unleash.
In *The Trial of Arkkis Chummuck: Indictment*, the Green Lantern Corps puts Arkkis Chummuck on trial for murder, forcing him to recount how he came into possession of a Green Lantern ring. Once a quiet archivist, Arkkis recounts his encounter with a fallen Green Lantern—fully armored in yellow, yet defeated in battle—whose final act was to pass the ring to him, believing Arkkis worthy.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw — FN+ ▾ $3.4–$24.99 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.25–$13.08 15 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The backup story was written by Bob Toomey and drawn by Alex Saviuk as part of a batch of previously completed but unpublished Green Lantern Corps stories that DC finally found a home for beginning with this issue; reader enthusiasm for these tales was strong enough to drive demand for more Corps content throughout the early 1980s. The lead story — 'Sonar's Sonic-Atomic Attack' — was scripted by Bob Rozakis with pencils by Joe Staton and inks by Frank McLaughlin, under editor Jack C. Harris and managing editor Joe Orlando; the issue carried a cover date of July 1980 and went on sale April 22, 1980. This issue arrived immediately after Denny O'Neil departed the title with #129, meaning #130 was the first issue in the transitional stretch handled by rotating writers (Rozakis, then Mike W. Barr on #131, then Paul Kupperberg on #132) before Marv Wolfman took over as ongoing writer.
Trivia · 9 facts
- First appearance of Arkkis Chummuck, Green Lantern of Space Sector 3014, created by writer Bob Toomey and artist Alex Saviuk.
- Cover date: July 1980 (on-sale date: April 22, 1980); part of Green Lantern Volume 2.
- This issue launched the Green Lantern Corps backup feature — one of the very first such backup slots dedicated to alien Corps members — titled 'The Trial of Arkkis Chummuck: Indictment.'
- The backup stories were previously completed but unpublished work by Toomey and Saviuk that DC debuted here; the fan response was enthusiastic and helped build momentum for dedicated Corps storytelling.
- Lead story is 'Sonar's Sonic-Atomic Attack,' scripted by Bob Rozakis, penciled by Joe Staton, inked by Frank McLaughlin — Sonar hijacks a Soviet nuclear missile and straps Hal Jordan to it as he attempts to demonstrate Modora's new nuclear capability.
- Arkkis Chummuck's origin establishes him as a peaceful archivist from a warlike culture (Toomey VI) who defeats the sector's resident Green Lantern Reever in single combat using yellow armor, and consumes Reever's remains per his people's honor customs — earning the ring but immediately triggering a Corps tribunal.
- The Arkkis Chummuck trial arc continued across issues #130–132, with the verdict (probationary retention in the Corps) resolved in #132; he later became a recurring member of the Corps in the main continuity.
- Arkkis Chummuck was subsequently adapted into the DC Animated Universe (Justice League animated series), where he was voiced by Michael Rosenbaum, and received non-speaking cameos in the animated films Green Lantern: First Flight, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
- Arkkis Chummuck was later killed in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 (1985) and was among the characters resurrected during the 2009–2010 Blackest Night event.
Cast · 4 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Grüne Leuchte #3/1981 (1981), Grüne Leuchte #13/1981 (1981), Flash #12 (1984), Cover Story: The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland #[nn] (2011)
Key issues in Green Lantern
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.