So here’s the sad news: Doug Mahnke and I are closing the GREEN LANTERN SAGA that began with GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH #1 with this May’s 64-page GREEN LANTERN #20. As every storyline is coming to a head, it feels like the right time. The book is still doing great. The characters are as vibrant as ever. Let’s go out how we started – on a high note.

Counting up between the GREEN LANTERN monthly series, REBIRTH, BLACKEST NIGHT and the various one-shots and specials…that makes over 100 issues of GREEN LANTERN I’ve had the absolute privilege, pleasure and fortune to write.

I’m obviously ending my run with a little sadness because I love these characters, every single one of them. But I’m walking away feeling very proud of what we’ve done and very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with so many fellow creators. It’s that collaboration, and every reader out there, who have made this a truly special experience. It's hard to imagine a GREEN LANTERN universe without characters like Atrocitus, Larfleeze, Saint Walker, the Indigo Tribe or the rest of the gang anymore. And I can't count how many Lantern t-shirts of all colors I continue to see.

It was Dan DiDio and Peter Tomasi who I first spoke with about GREEN LANTERN. Dan was the Executive Editor of DC Comics at the time and Pete my editor on JSA. They both wanted to relaunch GREEN LANTERN. My very first proposal that I could find dates back to September 2nd, 2003 meaning I’ve been working on GREEN LANTERN for nearly ten years in some way or another. I’ll never forget Dan telling me his idea for the title, “Rebirth,” he said.

Through BLACKEST NIGHT and BRIGHTEST DAY, literally, Peter Tomasi has always been there. From the incredibly long conversations and debate on REBIRTH to later writing GREEN LANTERN CORPS beginning with the conclusion of SINESTRO CORPS and up until today, Pete has been my creative partner in crime and what GREEN LANTERN grew into would not have happened without him.

And, of course, look at the amazing artists I worked with: Ethan Van Sciver, your mad genius was key to everything we expanded the universe into – the endless energy you have for creation is unmatched. Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, you brought a scope only you two could deliver culminating with BLACKEST NIGHT – and you’re showing the world what JUSTICE LEAGUE should be. And Doug Mahnke…he’s the current superstar I work with every month on GREEN LANTERN and have for years now. Doug, you’re one of the most amazing and unique artists in the business. Your power, grit and sense of wonder can be seen at its very best in the gatefold cover for GREEN LANTERN #20.

I’m fortunate enough to continue working with Doug as we head over to a new project later this year.

We all owe a debt to Julius Schwartz, John Broome and Gil Kane for creating such an incredible foundation to build on with Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. Without them, there would be no Green Lantern.

So what will GREEN LANTERN #20 bring? The bizarre return of Hal Jordan, the final fate of Sinestro, the revelation of the First Lantern and an ending that I hope pays off everything we’ve ever done and ever created with GREEN LANTERN. It has art by Doug Mahnke, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado and I’ve poured everything I can into the script.

I’m off to focus my energy on the JUSTICE LEAGUE universe as we head into what I hope is an exciting plan – Simon Baz and B’dg will be along for the ride in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – and you’ll no doubt see Hal Jordan and some of the other Lanterns in the world of the Justice League before too long. And Sinestro…? You’ll have to read GREEN LANTERN #20 for that…

Thank you again for reading – whether you started with REBIRTH or started this month – I sincerely appreciate your time and imagination.

In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night –

All Will Be Well,
Geoff

Back in October, we announced that industry legend Ethan Van Sciver will be the new ongoing series artist for BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT. Flying into stores at the end of the month, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #16 is not only Van Sciver’s first issue of this revered series, but it also reintroduces one of the Dark Knight’s most notorious adversaries: The Mad Hatter.

“With this first issue, I think I really just found a Mad Hatter that makes me happy and I think a lot of other people are going to like him too. He's creepy and cooky and silly and fun and mean all at once,” Van Sciver teased to MTV GEEK. “Part of keeping a readership on their toes, part of keeping them scared, part of keeping Batman heroic is constantly reinventing them, rethinking the villains that have become maybe too familiar.”

“For me, the Hatter is a character who I was always interested in. He was always running around. He was obsessed with reclaiming his Alice or finding his Alice. He has this incredible fixation. He's interesting. He's a household name, in comic book households. I never felt he was granted an overall narrative that really explains and defines him and shows who he is. One that shows why he's a force to be reckoned with. I think that's one of the things that Ethan and I are really trying to do,” revealed series writer Gregg Hurwitz to COMIC VINE about the creative team’s upcoming arc. “If people are going to have a New 52 brand new version, brand new reinvention of the Hatter, we hope it will be the definitive one. They understand where he came from, they understand his past. And they understand why he's such a huge threat. This guy, all 4'6" of him is going to put a plan into motion that's going to rattle Gotham to its cornerstones in our arc.”

For more from Van Sciver and Hurwitz about BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #16, The Mad Hatter, and more, read the full interviews that ran with the duo today on MTV GEEK, IGN, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, NEWSARAMA and COMIC VINE. And be sure to visit each of these outlets for a few sneak peeks at Van Sciver’s interior art for issue #16, which hits shelves on January 30.

(A sneak peek at Ethan Van Sciver's interior art for BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #16)

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.

This month, DC Comics will release its next batch of Annuals. These special oversized issues will not only build off of the events in their respective series, but will also greatly impact the expanding DC Universe. Every day this week on THE SOURCE, we’ll be putting individual spotlights on each of these Annual issues by talking to various writers, artists, and editors to give you special sneak peeks at what’s to come! Next up is GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1, by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, which serves as a prologue to October’s GREEN LANTERN crossover event, “Rise of the Third Army.”

"Ethan has been a brilliant collaborator and co-creator since the beginning of GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH,” Johns told THE SOURCE. “Introducing new concepts and revealing huge, enigmatic, dangerous and heroic characters to the Green Lantern universe is what we do best together. And we're hoping to continue that with GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1. I'm not sure anyone realizes what we have in store for them ... and we like it that way."

"The joy of working with Geoff Johns is his unique insight into DC Comics' wide array of heroes and villains, and the development of those names and costumes into fully realized, complex characters,” added Van Sciver. “He gives hearts and souls to GREEN LANTERN's cast. And he's always got a plan.  It's always a pleasure to join him.”

GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1 flies into stores on August 29.