On September 5th, the release of GREEN LANTERN #0 will introduce a brand new Green Lantern to the DC Universe. Then starting in October, the monumental crossover event, “Rise of The Third Army,” will span the pages of GREEN LANTERN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS, GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS, and RED LANTERNS. To help you prepare for these exciting adventures, we’ve been putting a spotlight on the Green Lantern universe and the upcoming events that will change it forever each day this week on THE SOURCE.

This past Wednesday marked the release of GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver with a disturbing epilogue by Johns and artists Pete Woods and Cam Smith. If you haven’t read the issue, the stop reading this post now (spoiler alert ahead)!

If you’ve already read the issue, you witnessed the introduction of the First Lantern. But who is this mysterious character? Why is he being introduced now? And what does he have to do with the “Rise of the Third Army”?

“Who the First Lantern is and what his role will be in the upcoming Green Lantern universe will come into play very, very quickly,” hinted GREEN LANTERN writer Geoff Johns. “The being inside has been imprisoned there for a long, long time. The Guardians consider him their greatest threat, but also their greatest source of power. Whether he's friend or foe will be up for debate, but regardless he is one of the potentially most dangerous beings in existence.”

“In GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1, readers got their first glimpse at the First Lantern, someone who’s been locked away for a very long time—for a VERY good reason!” teased editor Matt Idelson. “His presence in this story is the catalyst for something very bad, and yet his story is only going to grow from here.”

Stay tuned to THE SOURCE as more about the First Lantern is revealed in the coming months. In the meantime, check out the below page from GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1 to get a peek at this esoteric character who will gravely impact the Green Lantern universe this fall.