In the “Hard-Traveling Heroes” era of Green Lantern/Green Arrow, creative team Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams created a back up Green Lantern named John Stewart. A former marine with a job in architecture, John Stewart was Hal’s replacement for a brief moment in time. After that he was a limited duty Green Lantern with occasional appearances here and there. When it came time to adapt Green Lantern in 2000’s Justice League cartoon, the creative team opted for John Stewart as opposed to Kyle Rayner for the team. Following their decision, John has since become the main Green Lantern for an entire generation. John has been a household name as the Green Lantern and will continue to for a good while.
But even with being arguably the most popular Green Lantern, what does John have to show for it? A headlining Green Lantern book? Nope. Acting as the sole Green Lantern for the Justice League? Nope? Leading as the Absolute Universe Green Lantern? Nope. So what gives? He clearly has the fanbase and the most he can get is supporting roles in all the books he’s in. You’d think DC would give him the best treatment but he’s been constantly running in second when he deserves the top spot. Whether it was the “Emerald Knight” one-shot or the maxi series Green Lantern: War Journal, John deserves much better.
John should be the Lead Lantern of Space
While the Green Lanterns have had an amazing series of books at the moment in DC’s main and Absolute concontinuitiest, John is given short shrift in both. With the new Green Lantern Corps series, I hoped this would be his leading book and it’s not quite that. While Jeremy Adams has seemingly canonized the Hawkgirl romance from the cartoon, that’s just one of the many congruent plots in the book. It’s a massive win for John and Shayera both (not to mention their fans) but it’s not enough. And while “War Journal” being a cosmic horror adventure for John, it was short lived and had so much potential. There needs to be more.
While the current Green Lantern Corps series is well received, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner both need to go solo. It’s been a great outlet for Guy Gardner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Jo Mullein, and Keli Quintela. Kyle works best by himself and should have a series of his own like that of Jo in Far Sector. Guy should lead GLC and John needs to do the same as Kyle and go solo, preferably in a story that is more about him as a person than the “war stories” he usually ends up being relegated to. In fact, DC has a prime opportunity to do this by leaning into the fan-favorite romance that first began in the animated series between John and Shayera.
John and Shayera have been a commonly “shipped” couple for the DC Animated Universe fans. For 20 years, that romance only ever existed in that particular continuity and was a great addition. It’s time for it to take center stage.
Green Lantern and Hawkwoman in a Starcrossed Romance
It’s clear form their interactions together there’s something there between the two character.s Fans of the DCAU shows have been delighted to see it come from the small screen to the page and it’s clear the two have unfinished business. John and Shayera need to split off and go on missions together. Whether it’s taking down enemies from other sectors or just having a day here and there to rest in different cities, there is a lot of potential here to not only tap into something we already know fans love, but to also finally fully flesh out the one Green Lantern who never really gets his time to shine.
Giving John Stewart better stories would also benefit Hawkwoman, too. The Hawks are a complicated corner of the DC universe. Bringing the focus onto John Stewart and including Shayera as a part of that, it would also give something fresh to Hawkwoman and help separate her from what Kendra Saunders is doing as Hawkgirl. It’s a small fix in the grand scheme of things, especially where the Lanterns and Thanagarians are concerned but it would be a way to win over fans from both camps all at the same time. Both characters deserve more. DC has the opportunity to give them that.
Do you agree that John and Shayera need to go solo in a romance series? Does DC need to do more with John Stewart generally? Let us know down in the comments.
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