Green Lantern is one of the oldest and most popular comic-book superheroes. The character first appeared in DC comic books in 1940. Wielding a magic power-ring capable of performing a variety of feats, Green Lantern spent his early years championing the interests of common citizens against crooked stock brokers, greedy businessmen, and corrupt politicians before taking on America's enemies in World War II.

Although his initial comic-book series was canceled in 1949, DC revived and revised the character ten years later and has kept him in publication ever since. The "modern" Green Lantern uses his powerring in the service of an intergalactic police force. In 1970, Green Lantern's comic book became a vehicle for "relevant" stories that critiqued America's social ills.

Further Reading:

Daniels, Les. DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. Boston, Little, Brown, 1995.

O'Neil, Dennis. Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes. New York, Warner, 1976.