The Starbreaker Supremacy was a big event level story arc for the Green Lantern franchise. It is what the last few years in the history of the Green Lanterns has been building towards. Because to say that the Emotional Spectrum of the DC Universe has been in a state of chaos would be an understatement. Things got to the point where the Green Lantern Corps were the last Lantern Corps standing for the Emotional Spectrum. That led to what Starbreaker Supremacy did as a storyline lead the Green Lantern franchise down a new path.
DIVING INTO EARTH GREEN LANTERNS IMPORTANCE
Since the start of Dawn of DC started back in 2023 an even greater focus was placed on the Earth Green Lanterns. Specifically, what they all represented at a time when it seemed that the Green Lantern Corps were the last of a breed. They were the last remaining Lantern Corps left of some power and even they became threatened by the United Planets.
This is where the big reveal back in 2024’s Green Lantern #9 redefined the Earth Green Lanterns importance. There Hal Jordan learned from his old friend Tom Kalmaku that the Guardians placed a Green Lantern Power Battery on Earth as a failsafe in case something happened to Oa. The reason for this the Earth Green Lanterns has shown, in the Guardians’ words, “innate inability ability to follow orders because of an excess will that makes them well suited for survival.”
These words from the Guardians really sums up not just Hal but all of the Earth Green Lanterns. Having played key parts in so many big DC Universe events has led to those words being true. That rebel nature has impacted the direction of the Green Lantern Corps since Hal joined.
This definition also helped to establish why now was the time Earth’s Green Lanterns needed to step up as leaders. That was usually left for John Stewart but not anymore. From that point and during Starbreaker Supremacy we saw them all have to step up.
FRACTURED SPECTRUM LED TO DC UNIVERSE WITH NO EMOTIONS
While the Hal, Kyle, John, Guy, Jo, and other Green Lanterns stepped up the fact was it was too late. They came into leadership after the United Planets council destroyed what the Emotional Spectrum represented in the DCU. Even if the United Planets’ Thaaros was defeated his impact remained. We saw that in the issues leading up to Starbreaker Supremacy.
Ultimately this is why right away when Starbreaker Supremacy began it was easy for the Green Lanterns to be defeated. They were in such a corner that they were no match for the Starbreakers power. It allowed them to destroy what was left of the Emotional Spectrum in the DC Universe.
This is where artists Xermanico, V. Ken Marion, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Fernando Pasarin deserve a lot of credit. The impact that Starbreaker Corps had on the DC Universe is truly felt by how the art team brought this to life. Until the Emotional Spectrum returned you felt how the lack of emotions made the DCU a dull place. It helped drive home how the Starbreaker Corps where the antithesis of everything the Emotional Spectrum represented.
STARBREAKER CORPS VS ALL LANTERN CORPS
With the Starbreaker Corps succeeding in sapping emotion out of the DC Universe the stage was set for our heroes big return. And it did not disappoint whatsoever.
To build up to the epic clash between the Lantern Corps and Starbreaker Corps, Jeremy Adams and Morgan Hampton explored a big element to the franchise. That was the avatars that represented the Emotional Spectrum. Though these avatars were not very nice as they each represented the extremes of the emotion they were powered by. It provided an opening for Kyle Rayner’s status as Torch Bearer status to come into play. He used his access to the White Lantern powers to help Hal and others tame the Emotional Spectrum avatars.
All of this helped create the epic moment of Hal and company riding the Emotional Spectrum avatars in the final battle against the Starbreaker Corps. It is just one of those cool moments you can get from a comic book. This massive burst of emotion gave way for the other Lantern Power Batteries to be activated. With that the Starbreaker Corps, who were drawn to strong emotion like the Sun-Eaters they are, were defeated while the Lantern Corps successfully returned.
OA NOW THE CENTER OF THE EMOTIONAL SPECTRUM
The ending of the Starbreaker Supremacy storyline led to the return of the iconic seven Lantern Corps. With their return we got a new center to the Emotional Spectrum. That new center is unsurprisingly Oa. All Emotional Spectrum Power Batteries are now located on Oa.
What does this mean? Well now Oa isn’t just the home of the Green Lantern Corps. All the Lantern Corps will be calling Oa home. That is a new status quo that both Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps’ series will be looking to explore.
This new status quo makes Oa an even more important place to the DC Universe. We all know that Earth is the center of every universe in DC’s Multiverse. Now there is a second point of importance with the entire Emotional Spectrum being housed on Oa. That is a lot of power for one planet to have.
It is a status quo that also calls into question how policing the universe will go moving forward. The Green Lantern Corps have been the policing force in the DCU. But now that the other Lantern Corps are back and living on Oa this may not fly. New alliance could be formed. That will all certainly lead to even more cosmic centric events.
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