Who the Hell Is John Stewart from Lanterns? | A THN Back Issue Comics Show!
Who the Hell Is John Stewart?!
It’s time for Who the Hell Is This Guy: The John Stewart Edition! With the success of Lanterns on HBO Max, we’re taking a deep dive into four classic comics featuring the first African-American Green Lantern.
In this episode:
- White guys in the 1970s DC offices do their best with Black Power politics!
- Guy Gardner gets hit by a bus!
- John refuses to wear the mask: “I’m not hiding!”
- A pre-Crisis Major Disaster threatens to bust a dam open unless the “real” Green Lantern shows up!
- John bubbles Martian Manhunter, and an entire planet dies for it!
- The one color John’s ring can’t touch? The doomsday bomb is painted yellow!
- Plus: Fatality cuts off her own arm to escape, spots that John’s paralysis is all in his head, and promises to slaughter him anyway!
It’s all happening in this ring-slinging edition of THN and it starts NOW!
IT’S BACK ISSUE TIME IN THE ZIGGURAT!!!
From the Cosmic Longbox emerges…
- Green Lantern (vol. 2) #87 — “Beware My Power”
DC Comics
Written by Denny O’Neil
Pencils by Neal Adams
Inks by Dick Giordano
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by Neal Adams - Green Lantern (vol. 2) #183 — “Day of Disaster”
DC Comics
Written by Len Wein
Pencils by Dave Gibbons
Inks by Mark Farmer
Colors by Anthony Tollin
Letters by John Costanza
Cover by Dave Gibbons - Cosmic Odyssey #2
DC Comics
Written by Jim Starlin
Pencils by Mike Mignola
Inks by Carlos Garzón
Colors by Steve Oliff
Letters by John Workman
Cover by Mike Mignola - Green Lantern (vol. 3) #156 — “Walking Tall”
DC Comics
Written by Judd Winick
Pencils by Dale Eaglesham
Inks by Rodney Ramos
Colors by Moose Baumann
Letters by Kurt Hathaway
Cover by Ariel Olivetti
Required Reading:
- Fantastic Four #52
Referenced as the actual first Black superhero in mainstream comics — Black Panther, five years before John Stewart.
In print: Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The Mystery of the Black Panther - Captain America #117
The Falcon’s debut, another historical first for a Black hero. - Justice League of America (1974) #110
The first time a Black hero fights alongside the JLA, years before John joins for real. - Justice League of America (2006) #7
Black Lightning gets a tour of the new Hall of Justice — part of the same “first Black JLA members” discussion.
In print: Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition - Green Lantern: Mosaic #18
Where John becomes the “Master Builder,” the first mortal Guardian of the Universe — cited as where his story goes right after Xanshi. - Green Lantern (vol. 2) #182
Hal Jordan quits, leaving John as Earth’s Green Lantern by default. - Green Lantern (vol. 2) #188
“Decent Exposure” — Tawny outs John’s identity, the consequence set up back in Green Lantern #87. - Green Lantern Corps #201
The title Green Lantern (vol. 2) becomes after #200, continuing John’s run as Earth’s Green Lantern. - Green Lantern (vol. 3) #54
Major Force’s real identity comes up while sorting him out from Major Disaster. - Justice League International #23
Referenced during the Major Disaster discussion for his JLI-era appearances. - Justice League America Annual #4
“Justice League Antarctica” — more of Major Disaster’s Justice League history. - JLA (1996) #76
Where John actually joins the Justice League. - League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #1
A tonal comparison Matt and Joe make while discussing Green Lantern #183. - Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
Joe’s earliest exposure to John Stewart. - Green Lantern: Mosaic #1
The first issue of the Mosaic series that Cosmic Odyssey #2 sets up. - Justice League (2018) #7
Where Martian Manhunter finally forgives John for Xanshi, decades after Cosmic Odyssey #2. - Green Lantern (vol. 3) #75
Where John was paralyzed fighting alongside the Darkstars — the injury “Walking Tall” resolves. - Green Lantern (vol. 3) #154
“Hate Crime” — the story that sends Kyle Rayner off-world, setting up John’s return as primary Green Lantern. - Green Lantern (vol. 3) #83
Fatality’s debut — the villain who unknowingly helps John walk again in #156. - Parallax: Emerald Night #1
The one-shot where Hal Jordan, as Parallax, visits John in the hospital and heals his spine. - Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1
Referenced near the end as what’s next for the Corps after John’s era.
In print: Green Lantern Corps: Recharge (2026 Edition) - Green Lantern (vol. 4) #26
The 2007 issue that retcons John as a former U.S. Marine — the version HBO’s Lanterns carries forward.
In print: Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Compendium
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SOUNDTRACK:
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- Aries Beats Night Rid
- CN Groovies Superfriends, That Time is Now!
- Shit You Shouldn’t Sample by Rob Viktim
- Japanese Spider-Man Mix by DJ RX-78
All music in this episode is 100% free-use, royalty-free, or used with the express permission of the artist and or label, and all of those other fun words which means we didn’t infringe on any copyrights!
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