Green Lantern #149
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeGreen Lantern #149 is the debut issue of Salaak — the four-armed, pessimistic Slyggian who would eventually rise to become the Green Lantern Corps' chief administrator and Keeper of the Book of Oa, making him one of the most consequential supporting characters in the entire mythology. Beyond that single landmark introduction, the issue marks a pivotal moment in Hal Jordan's Bronze Age characterization: the Guardians confront him directly over neglecting his sector in favor of personal matters on Earth, a tension that drives the next several issues and anticipates the larger questions about Jordan's relationship with duty that would recur for decades. The backup story, 'Earth's First Green Lantern,' uses a Western-set tale with Abin Sur to deepen Corps lore in a way that the regular title's format rarely allowed, and Arkkis Chummuck's climactic battle against St'nlli here closes out a multi-part arc that showcased the depth of Wolfman and Staton's alien roster ambitions.
In "Death by Fire and Ice!", Hal Jordan races to end an endless ice age on the frozen world of Ungara, but his mission is thrown into chaos when he's ambushed by the genetically altered warrior Stanley—once a man, now a weapon of Qward. With Arisia at his side and the Green Lantern Corps divided over his actions, Hal must face not just the planet’s deadly cold, but a foe whose power defies even his will.
In "Earth's First Green Lantern," Abin Sur’s crashed spaceship brings alien technology to the American frontier, where a wounded pilot entrusts his power ring to a frontier sheriff. With the ring’s might, the sheriff must protect the untamed West—using its light to fight unseen dangers, one blazing moment at a time.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by Joe Staton and inks by Dennis Jensen, the issue arrived during a transitional stretch of the title when writers including Wolfman, Mike W. Barr, and Len Wein were cycling through short runs and collectively fleshing out the Corps as a true ensemble rather than a backdrop for Hal Jordan alone. The cover was supplied by Staton and inker Dick Giordano, giving the direct and newsstand editions a consistent visual identity. The 'Tales of the Green Lantern Corps' backup feature — running in these issues as a regular anthology slot — gave creators room to expand Corps history in self-contained vignettes, with the Abin Sur Western story representing that format at its most inventive.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Salaak (here spelled 'Salakk'), the four-armed Green Lantern from Slyggia, created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton — he would later become the Corps' Keeper of the Book of Oa and senior administrator.
- Main story 'Death by Fire and Ice!' script by Marv Wolfman, pencils by Joe Staton, inks by Dennis Jensen, colors by Gene D'Angelo; cover by Joe Staton and Dick Giordano.
- The issue contains two stories: the main Hal Jordan/Salaak/Arisia adventure and the backup 'Earth's First Green Lantern' (Tales of the Green Lantern Corps), in which Abin Sur temporarily deputizes an 1873 Montana sheriff named Daniel Young as a Green Lantern.
- Hal Jordan is confronted at Oa by the Guardians, who accuse him of neglecting his sector by focusing on earthly problems — a defining conflict of the early-1980s Wolfman run and a precursor to Jordan's eventual resignation arc.
- Arisia (created by Mike W. Barr, Len Wein, and Joe Staton, first appearing in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1, May 1981) continues her early role here, assisting Jordan on Ungara and helping to reposition a solar mirror to prevent a planetary catastrophe.
- Arkkis Chummuck (first appeared in Green Lantern #130, 1980, created by Bob Toomey and Alex Saviuk) plays a prominent role in the issue's Qwardian arc, with his defeat of St'nlli resolving the Anti-Green Lantern Corps threat across issues #149–150.
- The issue was reprinted internationally in German (Grüne Leuchte, Egmont Ehapa, September 1982) and in Brazilian Portuguese (Superamigos, Editora Abril, October 1986).
- Salaak's name was inconsistently spelled in his earliest appearances — appearing as 'Salakk,' 'Sallak,' and other variants — reflecting how minor his introductory role was before he grew into a cornerstone Corps figure.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Grüne Leuchte #9/1982 (1982), Superman #24/1983 (1983), Superamigos #7 (1985), Superamigos #18 (1986)
Key issues in Green Lantern
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