Green Lantern #20
Green Lantern #20 (vol. 5, May 2013) stands as the closing chapter of one of the most expansive single-author runs in modern DC history: Geoff Johns' nearly decade-long tenure that began with Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 in 2004 and spanned more than 100 story issues, fundamentally reshaping the entire Green Lantern mythology by constructing a full emotional-spectrum cosmology and populating it with dozens of lasting characters. Beyond its role as a bookend, the oversized issue carries genuine key-issue weight because it contains the first cameo appearance of Jessica Cruz — who would go on to become the first female human Green Lantern and a recurring presence across comics, animation, and video games — with her name spoken and a single panel showing her hand, a deliberate narrative seed planted in the run's very last pages. The issue also delivers the definitive in-continuity origin of Volthoom, the First Lantern, establishing the mythological foundation of the entire power-ring creation story. Critics and peers across the industry treated its publication as a formal milestone, with luminaries including Grant Morrison and Dave Gibbons contributing written tributes printed inside the issue itself.
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Johns announced his departure from the title in February 2013, framing issue #20 as the deliberate conclusion to a saga he considered a single unified story stretching back to Green Lantern: Rebirth #1. He and series artist Doug Mahnke designed the issue as an oversized, 66-page production — with Mahnke alone providing more than 50 pages of art — and DC recruited virtually every significant penciler from the nine-year run (Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Cully Hamner, Aaron Kuder, Jerry Ordway, and others) to contribute sequences, giving the finale the feel of a communal reunion rather than a standard single issue. The narrative frame device — a future Green Lantern asking the Bookkeeper of Oa to recount the legend of Hal Jordan — allowed Johns to simultaneously wrap up the 'Wrath of the First Lantern' crossover and embed a retrospective recap of his entire run within the story itself. A gatefold cover by Mahnke and a back-matter section of congratulatory notes from entertainment industry figures rounded out what DC publicly called 'the end of an emerald era.'
Trivia · 8 facts
- First cameo appearance of Jessica Cruz: her name is spoken and her right hand appears in a single panel; she would later become the first female human Green Lantern and a Justice League member.
- Written by Geoff Johns; primary art by Doug Mahnke with guest contributions from Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Cully Hamner, Aaron Kuder, Jerry Ordway, Joe Prado, and additional inkers — among the largest art-team credits in a single DC issue of the era.
- Oversized issue: 66 total pages (55 pages of main story art per DC's announcement), published May 22, 2013, with a cover date of July 2013.
- Serves as Part 13 (the conclusion) of the 'Wrath of the First Lantern' crossover event spanning Green Lantern vol. 5 #17–20 and Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 #17–20.
- Provides the definitive in-continuity origin of Volthoom, the First Lantern — the first creature in the DC Multiverse to ever wield a power ring — explaining how the Guardians' self-imposed emotional divorce inadvertently created both him and the foundation of all Lantern Corps.
- Contains 'future fate' epilogue pages revealing the destinies of Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner, a storytelling choice Johns used to formally close out his era while also drawing criticism for potentially constraining future writers.
- Back matter includes a personal farewell essay from Geoff Johns and printed tributes from Grant Morrison, Dave Gibbons, Gary Frank, Greg Berlanti, and Richard Donner, making the issue as much a commemorative artifact as a narrative conclusion.
- Issue was originally distributed polybagged with a digital download code; a limited 1-in-25 retailer incentive variant cover also exists, both with the standard Doug Mahnke gatefold cover design.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Green Lantern #3 (2013), Red Lanterns #3 (2014), Green Lantern Corps #3 (2014), Green Lantern: New Guardians #3 (2014), Green Lantern: The Wrath of the First Lantern #[nn] (2014), Green Lantern #3 (2014), Green Lantern Corps #3 (2014), Green Lantern: New Guardians #3 (2014), Green Lantern: The Wrath of the First Lantern #[nn] (2014), Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus #3 (2016)
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