Green Lantern's New Superpower Is Beyond Even Superman

DC introduces yet another Green Lantern ability that could help power ring wearers defeat the most powerful opponents. The Green Lanterns possess only one power, and at the same time, an endless and ever-growing list of abilities. The Lanterns' power rings allow them to create virtually any weapon they can imagine, as well as any type of shield and tool they might need. As long as they're creative and quick on their feet, and as long as they retain the willpower to fuel their constructs, the Lanterns' power is almost limitless.

Although Green Lanterns wield some of the most versatile weapons in superhero fiction, their greatest obstacle lies with the wielders rather than the rings themselves. A power ring is only as effective as its user's willpower and imagination, meaning even the most advanced Lantern technology can't compensate for a hero's fear or poor decision-making. The rings also work according to the laws and protocols established by the Guardians of the Universe, and can be affected by phenomena that interfere with emotional energy or overwhelming cosmic forces.

Different Corps possess additional vulnerabilities tied to the emotions they channel, as rage can cloud the judgment of Red Lanterns, avarice isolates Orange Lanterns, fear can overwhelm Yellow Lanterns, and hope reaches its fullest potential only in conjunction with willpower. However, this doesn't happen everywhere in the DC multiverse.

Green Lantern Corps Introduces The Emotional Expanse

Green Lantern Corps #18; Written By Morgan Hampton; Art By Fernando Pasarín, Juan José Ryp, Will Conrad, Ig Guara, Oclair Albert, Jason Paz, Matt Herms, And Lee Loughridge

Threatened by the Manhunters' arrival, Guy Gardner and Jessica Cruz discuss what they can do with their access to all the Emotional Entities. During their discussion, Guy and Jessica get locked together in a trance-like state. Green Lantern Corps #18 reveals both heroes are sent to the Emotional Expanse, an extradimensional realm composed of nothing but emotion. As Jo Mullein creates a giant mecha construct with the help of all Lantern Corps, Guy and Jessica come to an agreement with the Emotional Entities, who demand safety from tyrants and armies like the Starbreakers, the Manhunters, and the Lanterns themselves.

The Emotional Expanse is home to the Emotional Entities outside the DC Universe. Since the Emotional Expanse exists outside space and time, the Lanterns' powers don't work, as Guy Gardner and Jessica Cruz' souls aren't tethered to their own bodies. Lanterns who gain access to this realm are technically impossible to reach without access from Allsight, and it's safe to say that most powers based on regular physics become inert outside the space-time continuum. The Emotional Expanse is also an exclusive dimension where the Emotional Entities decide who stays and for how long, regardless of their power.

The Emotional Expanse Joins An Extensive Green Lantern Mythos

The Lanterns Gain An Entire New Dimension

An astonishing body of Lantern mythology lies beyond the Emotional Spectrum. The Guardians of the Universe are only one branch of an ancient lineage that also includes the Controllers, whose experiments produced the Darkstars; and the Zamarons, who pursued their own philosophies of order. The enigmatic Maltusians shaped much of the modern universe long before the Green Lantern Corps existed, while relics such as the First Ring, Krona's forbidden experiments, and the Book of Oa preserve secrets dating back billions of years. Civilizations like the weaponers of Qward, Ranx the Sentient City, the Spider Guild, and countless sector-specific cultures have developed in direct response to the Corps' influence.

Perhaps the deepest layer of Lantern lore is the realization that the Corps represent only one expression of a much older and more complex cosmic order. Long before the Emotional Spectrum became the centerpiece of Green Lantern mythology, DC had already established hidden civilizations and ancient technologies that continue to influence the universe from the shadows. Stories involving Volthoom and the First Ring, the enigmatic Phantom Ring that can channel every color of the spectrum depending on the wielder's emotional state, the Ultraviolet Corps connected to the Invisible Emotional Spectrum, the mysterious Source Wall, and the forgotten history of the Old Gods intersect with the deepest foundations of the Lanterns' mythos.

Which part of DC's Green Lantern lore is your favorite?

Green Lantern Corps #18 is now available from DC Comics