The 2015 holiday season is just about to begin and no doubt you might be worried about what to buy for the Green Lantern fan in your life or what to put on your Christmas list if you’re a member of the Corps. Green Lantern fans deserve the very best, so we spared no expense and risk of personal injury in sneaking into Larfleeze’s lair to take a gander of what’s on the top of his mile long gift list this year. And if you don’t know who Larfleeze is and why his list is so long, have no fear – you don’t need to know any of that to be able to get something great for the ring slinger in your life! We’ve even taken care of some of the shopping for you by providing hot links when possible to where you can buy them online, but remember to support your local comic shop if you have one!
Hardcore Hardcovers
2015 marks the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Green Lantern in the comics. The Blog of Oa did a whole series covering that right history which you can read here, but DC Comics has published three great hardcovers that collect some the best Green Lantern stories they’ve published in the last three quarters of a century.
Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years collects the first appearances of many of the characters and parts of Green Lantern lore and combines them into one great hardcover. There are over eighteen different stories in one book which Amazon sells here for under $25. This book was just released in October so chances are the Lantern fan in your hasn’t picked it up yet. Click here to see my video review of this great book.
Geoff Johns Omnibus volumes 1 and 2 are mammoth hardcover tomes with over 1000 pages each devoted to this all-star creator’s nine year run with the Green Lantern franchise.
Volume 1 collects: Green Lantern Rebirth #1-6, Green Lantern Corps Recharge #1-5, Green Lantern #1-25, Green Lantern Corps #14-18, Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1, Green Lantern Secret Files 2005 #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman Prime #1 and Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps Secret Files #1. It all started here and this one immense hardcover collects every issue Johns wrote from the return of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps through the epic Sinestro Corps War saga. Amazon sells this volume here for just over $76 – you get over 1200 pages that covers the seeds of the greatest run in Green Lantern history.
Volume 2 picks up in the aftermath of Sinestro’s attack on Earth and takes the reader through the expansion of the Green Lantern universe, building up to the Blackest Night – when Nekron the Lord of the Dead returns to reclaim the universe with an army of undead superheroes at his beck and call! This 1040 page hardcover collects Green Lantern #26-52, Blackest Night #0-7, DC Universe #0, Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1-2, Blackest Night Tales of the Corps #1-2. Amazon sells this book here.
Statues and Action Figures
Hey, we all need stuff for our respective Lantern Caves, and while you favorite Green Lantern fan might have a treasure trove of plastic heroes and statues, he or she might not have these yet.
Factory Entertainment has released a unique statue which captures the first appearance of the modern Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, as he appeared on the pages of Showcase #22 back in 1959. The statues is ten inches high and features a sculpt of Green Lantern against a rolled metal backdrop representing the rest of the cover of that iconic issue. Amazon only has a few of them left here for about $89.
Japanese company Kotobukiya have been released a number of high quality statues at a relatively low cost. They recently released a Green Lantern statue that is a part of their tribute to the classic Super Powers action figures of the 1980’s. The 7.5 inch statue features a more defined sculpt than the original figure that it’s based on but maintains the retro look and feel of the classic. Complete with a power battery and retro packaging it’s a great addition to any Green Lantern fans collection. Amazon sells this statue here for a little over $25. The Blog of Oa did a video review of this statue here if you want to see more detail and here my opinion about it.
Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Listen, if you’re a Green Lantern fan and you haven’t seen what is one of the best superhero animated shows ever – turn your power battery in, Poozer! The show has been collected in two different DVD releases and both are available for under fifteen dollars. The first part, dubbed “Rise of the Red Lanterns” contains the first thirteen episodes and can be found at Amazon.com here for just over $8.
The second half of the season, “Manhunter Menace”, contains the final thirteen episodes on two DVD’s. These episodes bring the saga of Hal Jordan and the crew of the Interceptor to a dramatic conclusion as they face off against the arrival of the Anti-Monitor and the dark turn of one of their own. This set will only set you back $10 at Amazon.com via this link. If you’re looking for the show in the best format possible, Amazon also sell the entire series in one blu-ray edition here for $23 and change – and this is one show that looks spectacular in all its high definition glory! Check out our review of the blu-ray collection here.
They’ll Get a Charge Out of These
What’s a Green Lantern without a ring and a power battery?! No matter what emotion in the spectrum the fan in your life embraces there’s a ring for it.
DC Comics has released a number of high quality stainless steel power rings which come in a several sizes. Of course the Green Lantern ring was the first to be produced, with a nice emerald enamel surrounding the Green Lantern logo. There are two versions of Sinestro’s ring, one stainless steel and one gold plated which really pops visually. The Blue Lantern and Red Lantern versions are pretty hard to find, but Amazon has the stainless steel green and yellow rings for around $40 each, with the gold plated Sinestro ring selling for $50. Here are the links to each:
Green Lantern power ring
Sinestro power ring
Gold plated Sinestro power ring
If you’re on a budget or want more bang for your buck there’s always the Blackest Night promotional power rings that DC gave away years ago. You can’t get them for free any more, but the entire set is available for a very reasonable price. For about $12 you can get the entire set of nine rings which includes both the White Lantern and Black Lantern rings. You can find them on ebay and some times from your local pop culture or comic shop, and of course Amazon can hook you up with a set right here.
The Best of the Rest
In lazy day, in coldest night – in this blanket you’ll wrap up tight! Winter is here and this Green Lantern nordic fleece throw will keep you warm in style. This blanket measures four feet wide by five feet long – now better way to snuggle with your favorite Star Sapphire while sipping hot chocolate. Amazon has it for under $20 via this link.
Dice Masters combines the fun of collecting with the strategy of Magic the Gathering and has been a big hit with both casual and hard core gamers. Game publisher Wiz Kids has released a Green Lantern themed set called War of Light which brings a battle among the various Lanterns of the emotional spectrum. Starter sets come with everything needed to start playing the game with a low entry cost of less than $20. Booster packs expand the game by adding more characters with each pack coming with two dice and their corresponding cards with a modest price point which make great stocking stuffers. If you really get into the game there are playmats and storage boxes that follow the same theme. You can generally find Dice Masters and your friendly local game store, but if you don’t have one near year of course Amazon has you covered as well as most online game stores.
War of Light starter set
War of Light booster packs
War of Light playmat
War of Light Collector’s Box
War of Light Team Box
Who’s the good rage kitty? Fan favorite Dex-Starr, the feline member of the Red Lantern Corps, has been turned into a plush stuffed animal as a part of the DC Super Pets lineup. Complete with his Red Lantern power ring on his tail Dex-Starr is ready to purr his way into your heart. Amazon is selling Dex-Starr for $15 here.