Green Lantern #188

May 1985 · DC · 0.75 USD; 0.95 CAD; 0.35 GBP

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

★ 1st appearance — Mogo

About this Issue

Green Lantern #188 is a double-header of genuine creative ambition: the lead story marks the moment John Stewart publicly revealed his identity as Green Lantern — a rare, politically charged act rooted in his belief that openly being a Black superhero could serve as a positive example to his community. The backup, 'Mogo Doesn't Socialize,' introduced one of the most conceptually audacious characters in DC history — Mogo, a sentient planet who is himself a Green Lantern — in only six pages, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons barely a year before they would begin Watchmen together. Mogo evolved from a witty one-off twist ending into a structural pillar of the Green Lantern mythos, eventually revealed as the entity responsible for guiding power rings to new wielders across the universe. The issue also marks the first appearances of the villain Bolphunga the Unrelenting, and the debut of Leezle Pon and Dkrtzy Rrr as named (if unseen) Corps members, dramatically expanding the imaginative range of what a Green Lantern could be.

Contains 2 stories

Decent Exposure

17 pp · Superhero

Green Lantern [John Stewart]Tawny YoungSonarThe PredatorGreen Lantern [Katma Tui]Green Arrow [Oliver Queen]Black Canary [Dinah Lance]Carol FerrisHal JordanThomas KalmakuSuperman [Clark Kent] (cameo)

Mogo Doesn't Socialize

6 pp · Science Fiction, Superhero

Green Lantern [Tomar-Re]Green Lantern [Arisia]Green Lantern [Mogo] (intro)Bolphunga the Unrelenting (intro)

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $7

CGC 9.8 · 40 in census $166

CGC 9.6 · 18 in census $76*

CGC 9.4 · 9 in census $53*

CGC 9.2 · 4 in census $48*

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $43*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $42*

Show all 7 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $21*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.8 $499 1 listing CGC 9.6 $99 1 listing CGC 8.5 $66 1 listing CGC 8 $22.99 1 listing Raw — NM- $45.95 1 listing

Raw — VF/NM ▾ $4.98–$19.81 2 listings

VF/NM $4.98 VF/NM $19.81

Raw — VF+ ▾ $16–$39.95 2 listings

VF+ $16 VF+ · Newsstand $39.95

Raw — VF ▾ $10–$15 3 listings

VF · Newsstand $10 VF · Variant $10.59 VF · Newsstand $15

Raw — FN ▾ $9.1–$10 2 listings

FN · Variant $9.1 FN $10

Raw / ungraded ▾ $11.89–$29.05 9 listings

Raw / ungraded $11.89 Raw / ungraded $12.6 Raw / ungraded $14.99 Raw / ungraded $18 Raw / ungraded $19.95 Raw / ungraded $19.99 Signed $24.75 Raw / ungraded $25 Variant $29.05

Verified matches for Green Lantern #188 · eBay asking prices, seen 26 days ago

More listings for this title

GREEN LANTERN IN BRIGHTEST DAY TP $19.99

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 1 total · seen 26 days ago

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 ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

The issue shipped to direct-market retailers on January 29, 1985, with a cover date of May 1985, under editor Andy Helfer and managing editor Tom Condon. The lead story, 'Decent Exposure,' was part of Steve Englehart's incoming run on the title — a run that centered John Stewart rather than Hal Jordan at a time when Jordan had retired from the Corps — with pencils by Joe Staton and inks by Bruce Patterson. The backup slot was occupied by a 'Tales of the Green Lantern Corps' feature that DC used to showcase outside talent; Moore and Gibbons delivered 'Mogo Doesn't Socialize,' a story that Moore has described as an exercise in exploring how far the concept of a Green Lantern could be stretched beyond the humanoid. The issue also includes a one-page text piece by Dick Giordano and a letters column that included a contribution from a then-unknown Kevin J. Dooley, who would later become an editor at DC.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Mogo — a sentient, living planet and member of the Green Lantern Corps — created by Alan Moore (script) and Dave Gibbons (pencils, inks, and letters) in the 6-page backup story 'Mogo Doesn't Socialize.'
First appearance of Bolphunga the Unrelenting, the intergalactic bounty hunter and story antagonist of the Mogo backup; in the 2011 animated film Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Bolphunga was voiced by professional wrestler Roddy Piper.
First mention (though not depiction) of Corps members Leezle Pon (a sentient smallpox virus) and Dkrtzy Rrr (an abstract mathematical progression), both introduced as Lanterns who cannot attend Corps functions.
The lead story, 'Decent Exposure,' written by Steve Englehart with art by Joe Staton and Bruce Patterson, depicts John Stewart publicly revealing his identity as Green Lantern to the world — motivated by pride in his accomplishments and a desire to serve as a visible example to the African American community.
Katma Tui, assigned by the Guardians to train John Stewart, disguises her crimson alien skin using her ring to appear African American and adopts the alias 'Katrina' while living with Stewart — establishing the early stages of their relationship.
The issue was ranked #29 in Wizard Magazine's list of '100 Best Single Issue Comics Since You Were Born.'
The 'Mogo Doesn't Socialize' backup was adapted as a segment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (released June 7, 2011); it was noted as the standout episode of the anthology film by multiple critics.
The issue has been reprinted multiple times: the lead story appeared in Green Lantern: Sector 2814 vol. 2 (2013) and Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years (2015); the Mogo backup was collected in Green Lantern: In Brightest Day (2008), Tales of the Green Lantern Corps vol. 2 (2010), DC Universe by Alan Moore (2012/2013), and Green Lantern: 80 Years of the Emerald Knight – The Deluxe Edition (2020).