Summary
Warning: SPOILERS for Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #2
Considered by many to be DC Comics’ greatest Green Lantern, Hal Jordan knows a thing or two about overcoming great fear. His willpower is arguably the greatest in the DC Universe, and he’s dedicated his life to ensuring no evil escapes his sight. While he’s failed his sacred Oath more than once, the latest reminder of his greatest failure doesn’t exactly go as planned for the Emerald Gladiator’s psychic tormentor.
Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #2 – by Jeremy Adams, Eduardo Pansica, Jordi Tarragona, Julio Ferreira, and more – finds Hal Jordan under the sway of the villain Insomnia, alongside the rest of the DC Universe’s greatest heroes. Taking the form of Green Lantern’s greatest shame – Parallax – Insomnia’s psychic proxy goads Hal, attempting to feed on Hal’s fear, realizing too late that he’s chosen the wrong hero to scare.
Insomnia Should Beware Green Lantern’s Power
The Knight Terrors event has featured DC’s heroes and villains alike facing their worst nightmares, thanks to the machinations of Insomnia. Green Lantern fares better than many others have so far, managing to fend off the twisted elements of his psyche as they are used against him. The climactic moment of issue #2 depicts Hal summoning his willpower, striking a blow against the apparition, and declaring, “I’m Green Lantern…YOUR worst nightmare,” before sending Insomnia fleeing further into his psyche. Readers have seen Hal Jordan come to terms with his time as Parallax before, but watching the fan-favorite Green Lantern’s visceral triumph over his greatest fear puts into perspective the growth of his character since.
Overcoming Fear Is The Green Lantern Job Description
Like all Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan qualified to join the Green Lantern Corps due to his ability to overcome great fear, naturally making him a deadlier foe against Insomnia than most of the other heroes of the DC Universe. As such, it’s no wonder that many of Green Lantern’s “nightmares” over the course of these tie-in issues barely had any effect on him greater than a minor annoyance – a far cry from the abject terror Insomnia’s proxy expected. By taking the form of Hal’s darkest moment, the creature also managed to provide the Green Lantern with an unexpected moment of catharsis, one of the most impactful results yet from the ongoing Knight Terrors event.
As shown in Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #2, Hal Jordan is no longer the man whose blindness to his own fears allows evil to escape his sight; now, he’s the hero who looks his fears head on and walks away victorious over them. Facing one’s fears is one of the primary aspects of being a Green Lantern. And thankfully for Space Sector 2814, overcoming fear is what Hal Jordan is all about. It’s been a long time since the former test pilot was vulnerable to DC Comics’ Parallax entity, but it’s now clear that Green Lantern Hal Jordan will never beware its power again.
Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #2 is available now from DC Comics.
