Green Lantern Confirms the Fate of the Fan-Favorite Orange Lanterns

Warning: contains spoilers for Green Lantern #9!

Green Lantern confirms the fate of the fan-favorite Orange Lanterns. Larfleeze, the sole Orange Lantern, has not been seen in some time, but in Part One of “The Trial of Jessica Cruz,” appearing in Green Lantern #9, he makes his return–sort of. The times are changing for not only the Green Lantern Corps, but other Lanterns as well, and Larfleeze may actually be in trouble.

Part One of “The Trial of Jessica Cruz,” in Green Lantern #9 is written by Sam Humphries and drawn by Yasmin Flores Montanez. Jessica Cruz is being put on trial by the United Planets for potential treason against the Green Lantern Corps. The United Planets have recently assumed control of the Corps, and believe Jessica is out of line.

During the trial, readers learn that Jessica was part of a covert mission to destroy the Orange Lantern Battery.

The plan went slightly awry, leading to questions about Jessica’s loyalty. It is revealed Larfleeze is now in custody in a Sciencell.

Someone, Or Something, Is Destroying The Various Corps

Although the various multi-colored Lantern Corps were absent from the DC Universe for some time, the publisher’s current Green Lantern title is slowly reintroducing them. A mysterious force is targeting the various Power Batteries around the universe. So far, the Yellow, Red and Blue Batteries have been attacked, resulting in the decimation of their respective Lantern Corps. Larfleeze had been absent thus far, but now he has been drawn into the mystery surrounding these brutal attacks. This leaves only the Indigo Lanterns and the Star Sapphires unaccounted for, and they may be drawn in soon as well.

The Orange Lanterns, along with the other Lantern Corps, all wield various colors from the Emotional Spectrum. Orange is the color of avarice, or greed, and as such, there is only one member of the Orange Lanterns at any given time. Although it is possible for more than one person to use the Orange Light, its very nature ensures only one person uses it. Since the Orange Lanterns’ first appearance in 2008’s Green Lantern #25, Larfleeze has been the only member. Initially introduced as a villain, he quickly morphed into comic relief, despite how deadly he actually is.

Larfleeze’s power is great, and battles between him and the Orange Lantern Corps against the rest of the Corps tend not to end in their favor. As mentioned earlier, Larfleeze is the only member of the Orange Lantern Corps, or at least the only living member. Instead of recruiting others to his Corps, Larfleeze will kill them and then make an orange-light construct of that person, who serves as a member. Larfleeze is in nearly constant contact with his power battery, and when in proximity to it, he is virtually unstoppable.

One of the most powerful and fundamental forces in the DC Universe is the Emotional Spectrum. Each color in the Spectrum embodies a different emotional drive. Each color has its own respective Lantern Corps, complete with an oath, logo, sacred texts and representative entity. These various Lantern Corps converged in the epic Blackest Night crossover event in 2009-10, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Ivan Reis, to stop Nekron and his Black Lantern Corps from overrunning the universe.

The buildup to Blackest Night took place over the course of a few years, beginning with the 2007 Sinestro Corps War, culminating in the landmark Green Lantern #25. Yet even earlier than that, Geoff Johns had been teasing the existence of the Emotional Spectrum, and Green Lantern #25 revealed them in all their glory, including Larfleeze and the Orange Lanterns. However, the actual roll-out of the Lantern Corps was done over time, and Larfleeze made his full debut in 2009’s Green Lantern #39, as part of the “Agent Orange” storyline.

Larfleeze and the Guardians of the Universe Have a Long and Violent History

And the Controllers Thought They Could Harness The Orange Light for Themselves

“Agent Orange,” which was also the nickname given to Larfleeze by the Guardians of the Universe, ran through Green Lantern #39-42. The Controllers, an off-shoot of the Guardians, had for years tried to start their own equivalent of the Green Lantern Corps. Their past efforts included the Darkstars, but it, and all their other attempts, ended in failure. The Controllers hit on the idea of using the Orange Light as a power source for their own Corps, and track it to the planet Okaara, a section that had long been ignored by the Guardians.

The Controllers soon found out why. Many millions of years ago, the Guardians, along with their army of robotic Manhunters, tracked Larfleeze and a gang of pirates to Okaara. Larfleeze and his associates had stolen an object of great power, and the Guardians wanted it back. While hiding, Larfleeze and the pirates discovered the Orange Power Battery, and its light beckoned them to fight to the death to own it. The Guardians arrive in time to find two survivors: Larfleeze and Turpa. What happens next would have dire consequences for the galaxy.

The Guardians were no match for the Orange Light, so they bargained a deal with Larfleeze and Turpa: they agreed to leave them alone and not patrol this sector–but only if they fought each other to the death and the winner would take the Battery. The Guardians honored this set up for eons, but when the Controller entered the Vega System, where Okaara is located, Larfleeze ended the agreement and began menacing the galaxy once again, culminating in the Blackest Night, which also saw Lex Luthor wield an Orange Lantern Ring.

In the years immediately after The Blackest Night, Larfleeze made many appearances, and carried over into the new DC Universe created by Flashpoint. In the New 52 era, Larfleeze starred in a back-up feature in Threshold before spinning off into his own book, written by Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis with art by Scott Kollins, which ran for 12 issues. Since his solo book’s conclusion, Larfleeze has made occasional appearances, most notably in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #10. However, he by and large disappeared from the Green Lantern books as they moved on from the Emotional Spectrum.

Related

Green Lantern Used Christmas to Defeat DC’s Orange Lanterns

The Orange Lantern Larfleeze’s greed knows no bounds, so Green Lantern decided to turn Christmas into a teachable moment about generosity.

Yet, in recent issues of Green Lantern, the various Corps are under siege from parties yet unknown. The previous issue showed the decimation that came to the Blue Lantern Corps, and the Red and Yellow Lanterns have also been affected. While Green Lantern #9 does not reveal who is behind the attacks, it offers an important clue. Jessica Cruz confessed she was sent to destroy the Orange Power Battery. This would normally be something the Green Lanterns would balk at, but the United Planets have made it clear: the Corps is now theirs, and will do what they are told.

Larfleeze May Not Know It–But He Is In Big Trouble

Someone May Be Out to Kill Larfleeze and End the Menace of the Orange Lanterns

With this in mind, it is possible the United Planets are behind the attacks on the other Power Batteries and Lantern Corps, in which case Larfleeze may be in serious trouble. The United Planets could be eliminating other Corps in order that their new and corrupted version of the Green Lantern Corps will reign supreme. While it may be tempting to assume Larfleeze is safe in his Sciencell, the United Planets could very well be planning to kill him. If so, Hal Jordan and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps might be forced to save their one-time enemy.

Green Lantern #9 is on sale now from DC Comics!

Green Lantern #9
	Writer: Jeremy Adams, Sam Humphries Artist: Xermanico, Yasmin Flores Montanez Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr, Alex Guimaraes Letterer: Dave Sharpe Cover Artist: Steve Beach