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Green Lantern New 52 Reading Order, with the Green Lantern Corps, Red Lanterns, New Guardians and Sinestro

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Green Lantern New 52 Reading Order

A new era started in the DC Universe with the New 52. But the impact on the Green Lantern was quite limited. Geoff Johns took over creative duties on Green Lantern with the limited series Green Lantern: Rebirth in 2004 and was still the main writer for this relaunch with Doug Mahnke as penciler.

Like most DC characters, Green Lantern Hal Jordan was five years younger than his previous incarnations but there was no change in his history — all of Johns’ run on the Green Lantern title was still part of the continuity. During Geoff Johns’ time, Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 was written by Peter Tomasi, and the new Red Lantern series (written by Peter Milligan) was launched, as well as the Green Lantern: New Guardians series (written by Tony Bedard).

After issue #20, all the teams were changed with writer Robert Venditti and artist Billy Tan taking over as the main creative team for Green Lantern Vol. 5. Venditti also co-wrote Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 with Van Jensen before the latter became the sole writer. The Red Lanterns series continued with Charles Soule (#21-37) and Landry Q. Walker (#38-40), and the Green Lantern: New Guardians series was written by Justin Jordan (#21-40). The new Sinestro was launched, written by Cullen Bunn.

What to read before Green Lantern New 52?

First, you can check out our Green Lantern Reading Order which covers the history of the GL characters from start to finish. But it may be a bit too big. After all, we are here for the New 52 era. The DC Universe was rebooted after the Flashpoint event. It is not required reading, but you could take a look at it before reading anything else.

If New 52 was presented as a jumping point for new readers, Geoff Johns was the main writer for Green Lantern for almost 7 years at this stage, and, as said above, his run stayed in continuity. The events in Green Lantern Vol. 5 take place immediately after the last two books, War of the Green Lanterns and Aftermath. Don’t hesitate to check out Geoff Johns’ massive and celebrated run before entering the New 52 era. 

Green Lantern New 52 Reading Order: Collected editions

Optional. Green Lantern Hal Jordan is part of the Justice League (written by Geoff Johns) and the New 52 era was launched with a rebooted origin story of the famous team. You can read the first two trade paperbacks together to avoid interrupting the flow of the Green Lantern series. As Hal Jordan will be quite busy with his own adventures far away from Earth, he will not reappear before the last story arc.

Optional. Hal Jordan is not the only one to be part of a superhero team in this era, this is also the case of Guy Gardner, who officially joined the Justice League International in issue #2. The title was penned by Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti and lasted 12 issues.

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Green Lantern New 52: The end of Geoff Johns’ run

Most of the time, the New 52 Green Lantern books take place at about the same time. There is no optimal order in trades, as events are concurrent. As time goes by, the trades will spoil one another. For those who want to avoid spoilers, read all the Green Lantern stories, we can only advise you to go check out the issue-by-issue reading order at the end of the article.

Green Lantern Rise of the Third Army DC The New 52 Reading Order

Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army is a crossover event between all of The Green Lantern titles (Reading Order here). The mysterious Third Army has risen across the cosmos like a plague, destroying everything in its path—and Hal Jordan and Sinestro are nowhere to be found. Now, it’s up to the new Green Lantern Simon Baz to become the hero that the Corps needs! After that, it was the Wrath of the First Lantern (Reading Order here). 

Also, you can find all of these titles in the following books:

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Green Lantern New 52: New beginnings

A whole new team of writers enters the scene, with Robert Venditti as the main writer for Green Lantern Vol. 5. And a new crossover between all the Green Lantern series. In Lights Out, Relic has arrived and the universe shivers in his wake. The lights of the Lanterns are fading as the emotional spectrum is being drained. It is up to Hal and the Green Lanterns to rally the other Corps together if they are going to survive. The issues mostly take place at the same time. For a better experience, it is better to read issue-by-issue. 

Spinning out from Green Lantern New Guardians Annual #1 came Threshold, a limited series focusing on Jediah Caul who is hunted for sport on a televised reality show. The series featured a back-up involving Larfleeze whose story continued in his own series.

Until that moment, the New Gods only sparsely appeared in Prime Earth. This situation changed with the crossover Godhead. A year ago, Kyle Rayner, the White Lantern, breached the Source Wall at the edge of the universe, killing himself to save creation and inadvertently tapping into the Life Equation. Highfather of the New Gods has become convinced that the Equation can be accessed by combining the colors of the emotional spectrum through the rings of the universe’s Lantern Corps. Fearing the ring bearers too unevolved to wield power that they do not fully understand, Highfather decrees that all who wield a Power Ring must relinquish it to the New Gods.

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Green Lantern New 52: Convergence/DC You

Convergence was a massive crossover event revisiting characters from past eras and realities, with Green Lantern Alan Scott. Spinning out of this event was the end of the New 52 branding and the beginning of the DC You. It was an initiative by the publisher to allow more freedom in the storytelling, but sales didn’t follow up so it was quite short.

  • Convergence
    Collects Convergence #0-8
  • Convergence: Zero Hour Book Two
    Collects Superman: Man Of Steel #1-2, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #1-2, Supergirl: Matrix #1-2, Aquaman #1-2 And Green Lantern/Parallax #1-2.
  • Convergence: Crisis Book One
    Collects Convergence: Batman And The Outsiders #1-2, Convergence: Adventures Of Superman #1-2, Convergence: Green Lantern Corps #1-2, Convergence: Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #1-2 And Convergence: Hawkman #1-2.

Justice LeagueOptional. The end of the New 52 era/DC You is here with the last Justice League event. Darkseid War shows the return of Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips, but this time he’s set his sights on the world-shattering Anti-Monitor. The Justice League is caught in a war between those two gods, and are they enough to protect Earth from becoming collateral damage in this fight?

  • Justice League: The Darkseid War Saga
    Collects Justice League (vol. 2) #40–50; Justice League: The Darkseid War Special #1; Divergence #1; Justice League: The Darkseid War – Batman #1; Justice League: The Darkseid War – The Flash #1; Justice League: The Darkseid War – Green Lantern #1; Justice League: The Darkseid War – Lex Luthor #1; Justice League: The Darkseid War – Shazam! #1; Justice League: The Darkseid War – Superman #1

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Green Lantern New 52: A Reading Order Issue by Issue

As said above, most Green Lantern books take place at the same time. To read the story as it unfolds, issue by issue, check out the following reading order from u/Casual_Swamp_Demon on Reddit.

  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #1-12
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #1-12, #0
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #1-8
  • Blue Beetle (Vol. 8) #9
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #9-12, #0
  • Red Lanterns #1-8
  • Stormwatch (Vol. 2) #9
  • Red Lanterns #9-12, #0
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #0, Annual #1, #13-14
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #13-15
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #13-15, Annual #1, #16
  • Red Lanterns #13-16
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #15-16
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #16, Annual #1
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #17
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #17
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #17
  • Red Lanterns #17
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #18
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #18
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #18
  • Red Lanterns #18
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #19
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #19
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #19
  • Red Lanterns #19
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #20
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #20
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #20
  • Red Lanterns #20
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #21-23, #23.2, #23.3
  • Flash (Vol. 4) Annual #2
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #21-23
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #21-23
  • Red Lanterns #21-23
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #23.1, #24
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #24
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #24
  • Red Lanterns #24
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) Annual #2
  • Threshold #1-8
  • Larfleeze #1-12
  • Red Lanterns #25-27
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #25-27
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #25-27, Annual #2
  • Supergirl (Vol. 6) #26-29
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #28
  • Red Lanterns #28-29
  • Supergirl (Vol. 6) #30
  • Red Lanterns #30

  • Supergirl (Vol. 6) #31
  • Red Lanterns #31-32
  • Supergirl (Vol. 6) #32-33
  • Red Lanterns #33, Annual #1, #34
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #29-30
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol 3) #28-30
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #31
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #31
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #32
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol 3) #32
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #33
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol 3) #33
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #34
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol 3) #34
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #23.4
  • Sinestro #1-5, Future’s End Special #1
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #25-30, Annual #2, #31-34
  • Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #35
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #35
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #35
  • Red Lanterns #35
  • Sinestro #6
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #36
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #36
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #36
  • Red Lanterns #36
  • Sinestro #7
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #37
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #37
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #37
  • Red Lanterns #37
  • Sinestro #8
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #38-40, Annual #3, Future’s End Special #1
  • Justice League: The Darkseid War — Green Lantern #1
  • Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 3) #38-40, Future’s End Special #1
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #38-40, Future’s End Special #1
  • Red Lanterns #38-40, Future’s End Special #1
  • Sinestro #9-11, Annual #1
  • Convergence #1-3
  • Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax #1-2
  • Convergence: Green Lantern Corps #1-2
  • The Omega Men (Vol. 3) #1-12
  • Green Lantern Corps: Lost Army #1-6
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #41-44, Annual #4, #45-46
  • Sinestro #12-14
  • Lobo (Vol. 3) Annual #1, #10-11
  • Sinestro #15
  • Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #47-52
  • Sinestro #16-23
  • Lobo (Vol. 3) #12-13
  • Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #1-6

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After Green Lantern New 52

This is the end of another era and the beginning of a new one. It’s time for Rebirth where the main Green Lantern series was replaced by two books. Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz headlined Green Lanterns (written by Sam Humphries for its first 32 issues) and Hal Jordan was still flying with writer Robert Venditti in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. After that, Grant Morrison teamed up with British comic book artist Liam Sharp for a run on Green Lantern, a period we have covered on the site.

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

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