Random Happenstance

Good news: I got another big ol' pile of dollar books from the Comic Book Shop the other day; including a few I had really been looking for! Bad news, and this is very much a First World Problem: a lot of them were double-bagged, in these extra-fancy Ultra-Pro Comic Sleeves. It's not quite like cracking open a slabbed book, but it's also not conducive to just picking one up and reading it. I know I picked up three issues of Garth Ennis Legends of the Dark Knight because I wanted to read that story again, but I should really go find the reader copies I already have and not pop these open...On the other hand, I didn't quite remember if I had read this one before--I had, and I remember now why I memory-holed it--and it did not need to be in the fancy holder. Unless it was there to keep readers out, in which case it should've tried harder. From 1994, Green Lantern Annual #3, "Ring of Evil" Written by David de Vries, pencils by Dean Zachary, inks by Andrew Pepoy.

Let's see here: over the years, we've blogged Green Lantern Annual #5, part of Legends of the Dead Earth; Green Lantern Annual #7, part of the 1998 "Ghosts" annual event; Annual #8, part of 1999's JLApe, and even 2013's Green Lantern Annual #2 (part of "Lights Out," which didn't get a tag!) 2018's Green Lanterns Annual #1 and the 2021 Green Lantern Annual #1 with Jessica Cruz. And I need a new copy of GL Annual #6, super sci-fi pulpy goodness with Kyle! I mention all of this, not just to show I've read too much Green Lantern, but because you would be happier reading any of those, this book is full of Nazi stuff. And not in the usual fun comics way of Nazis getting punched the hell out, either; they get a ton of page time and build-up. (Also, every time I see this cover, I think that's a slightly different cover logo, and I wonder why it wasn't used again: because it was used on this one, that's why!)

First up, this was an Elseworlds annual, and I don't think the creators went into this with any ill intent. The whole thing reminds me of the Star Trek episode "Patterns of Force." Instead of rings from space, or however Alan Scott got his ring (It's probably changed in-continuity, but I've seriously forgotten! I want to say he carved it himself from a bigger ring but that can't be right.) the power ring this issue is...created by Heinrich Himmler in WWII? Not even a knock-off like Hindlich Hinder or anything either, straight-up Himmler. In a ritual that seems to involve summoning a demonic entity and sucking the souls of some of his men into the ring, he charges up a ring with an SS/lightning bolts logo; and basically wins the war from there. Fifty or so years later, America is formally Nazified, as we see SS Major Guy Gardner and Flight Lieutenant Hal Jordan getting Iron Crosses from a Reich dame in an SS bathing suit, which might be believable if she wasn't actually the boss: I think in recent years we've kinda seen what fascists think of women. The woman senses a man in the crowd, who looks like he's dressed like a medieval monk, complete with rope belt: oh, yeah, he blends in. 

At a party later, despite the glory, Hal is gloomy, seemingly because his relationship with Carol had ended. Guy has to leave early, since his SS has to take out the local resistance, the Green Arrows! Their leader Ollie is killed, as he was turning over leadership of the group to John Stewart, but most of the Arrows are slaughtered. John does put a literal arrow into Guy, before escaping; wounded, he makes his way to his girlfriend, Carol! Meanwhile, Hal's moping is interrupted by the monk-man, who was being chased by demons, who want his yellow SS ring. The guy had been Himmler's adjutant or assistant or whatever, and took the ring after Himmler was seduced by the Reich dame, Karelia; who's really a demon or something. While Hal's getting the yellow ring, Karelia sucks the souls out of the remaining Green Arrows, to put into a green ring for Guy. First Hal, and then Guy, find John and Carol together, and they're taken prisoner. Hal and Guy fight...and I'm not even sure why at this point? Hal thinks the green ring, is a "ring of evil," and that Karelia has perverted the dream...of Nazis? Yeah, enough of this. Eventually, John puts an arrow in Karelia; Guy stabs Hal with that arrow, Guy and John fight with rings, and eventually John wins and becomes Green Lantern, with a Lantern ring instead of an SS one, but with a bunch of souls in it? Even that feels gross, it's got Jordan and Himmler's goons in it. 

Anyway, I'm not scanning anything for this, because there's too much Nazi imagery, and super-racist talk against John. ("Super-racist" in a PG, Comics-Code approved way that would seem childishly tame on X nowadays, but I still don't want to repeat or scan any of that.) While Hal definitely wouldn't warmly embrace his counterpart, Guy would immediately kill the Nazi-cosplay version of himself; except this story was kind of like back when Guy was a villain: as a bad guy, he could take a licking and keep on ticking. Still, were there traditionally red-headed Nazis? Anyway, this whole post is just a warning: no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here... nothing valued is here. What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us." It's just to remember I've read this before. It's kind of like how I'd like to get a cheap copy of Stallone's Judge Dredd on DVD, so I can duct-tape it shut and not be tempted to watch it again! "Oh, it can't be as bad as I remember--" It is! "The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours."

Also, if you're curious: the first two Green Lantern Annuals are Gerald Jones, we're not going to be reading those; and #9 was part of the Planet DC event, that introduced a bunch of international characters that were mostly never seen again. That first GL Annual has Hal punching Star Sapphire, in a really abusive-looking way; and her costume is not helping there: that was when she was really mean, and that outfit was like linebacker-dominatrix on top, heels and panties on the bottom. Classy!