DC Comics has announced a new anniversary hardcover collection celebrating Green Lantern John Stewart. Green Lantern: John Stewart – A Celebration of 50 Years will collect stories from across Stewart’s history, from his first appearance in the seminal Green Lantern #87 by Dennis O’Neil & Neal Adams to a recent issue of Justice League featuring John as the team’s leader. Along with the collected stories, the hardcover will also feature essays about Stewart and his place in DC’s history as its first Black superhero, from writers including co-creator Adams, The Other History of the DC Universe writer John Ridley, and the voice of the animated John Stewart, Phil Lamarr, all collected under a cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams (presumably joined by regular colorist Alex Sinclair).
The full line-up of issues collected in the hardcover includes:
- Green Lantern (Volume 2) #87
- Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #182
- Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #185
- Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #74
- Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #156
- Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #49
- Justice League (Vol. 4) #40
- Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #110
Interestingly, the collection does not contain any issues from titles that Stewart headlined himself. While the omission of any issues of Green Lantern: Mosaic is unfortunately extremely understandable, not including any issues of the mid-’00s Green Lantern Corps series, in which Stewart played a central role as a leader of the newly-reformed GL Corps, is an interesting choice. Still, the issues presented give a good overview of Stewart’s history, even including an issue of the Kyle Rayner-starring GL series in which Stewart appears during his brief stint as a member of the Darkstars.
To a generation of fans who grew up watching the early ’00s Justice League animated series, John Stewart only one Green Lantern in sector 2814 who matters. Long a second-string GL behind Hal Jordan or Guy Gardner, the cartoon elevated John to a new level of recognition among both comic readers and the general public.
The 368-page Green Lantern: John Stewart – A Celebration of 50 Years hardcover will retail for $39.99, and will be available in stores and digitally on Tuesday, June 22nd.
