| "Emerald Twilight" | |
|---|---|
 Cover toGreen Lantern (vol. 3) #50 (March 1994). Hal Jordan becomes Parallax. Art by Darryl Banks. | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Publication date | January – March1994 |
| Genre | |
| Title(s) | Green Lantern vol. 3 #48–50 |
| Main character(s) | Hal Jordan Parallax Guardians of the Universe |
| Creative team | |
| Writer | Ron Marz |
| Penciller(s) | Bill Willingham (#48) Fred Haynes (#49) Darryl Banks (#50) |
| Inker(s) | Romeo Tanghal (#48–50) Robert Campanella (#48) Dennis Cramer (#49) |
| Letterer | Albert DeGuzman |
| Colorist | Steve Mattsson |
| Editor | Kevin Dooley |
| Emerald Twilight / New Dawn | ISBN 978-1-56389-999-7 |
"Emerald Twilight" is a 1994comic book story told inGreen Lantern (vol. 3) #48–50, written byRon Marz, drawn byDarryl Banks and published byDC Comics. The story introduced a new Green Lantern,Kyle Rayner, who gained a significant fan following.[1]
"Emerald Twilight" was collected as atrade paperback collection in 1994 reprinting the entire three-issue story arc in one volume asGreen Lantern: Emerald Twilight (ISBN 978-1-56389-164-9), with cover art byTony Harris. It was later collected again in 2003 as theGreen Lantern: Emerald Twilight/New Dawn TPB (ISBN 978-1-56389-999-7), reprintingGreen Lantern (vol. 3) #48–50 and also #51–55, the early stories of Rayner becoming the new Green Lantern with new cover art byAlan Davis andMark Farmer.
A second collection was released in the 2017 trade paperbackKyle Rayner, Green Lantern, Volume One includingGreen Lantern #0 and #56–57,R.E.B.E.L.S. '94 #1 andThe New Titans #116–117.
InGreen Lantern #46, as part of the "Reign of the Supermen!" storyline, the extraterrestrial villainMongul teams up withCyborg Superman, who had disguised himself asSuperman. They use a series of bombs to destroyHal Jordan's home city ofCoast City with the intention of using the area as one of four way-stations for a giant engine that will transform Earth into the massive spaceshipWarworld. Hal returns to the city to find it destroyed and furiously attacks, hearing the voices of those killed crying out in his mind. The voices fall silent when Hal defeats Mongul in battle. Hal also witnesses the return of Superman, who has defeated the Cyborg elsewhere in the city.
In issue #47, he teamed up withGreen Arrow for a completely different mission, and at the end of the issue, his thoughts once again turn to Coast City.
Issue #48 began with Hal in the center of what used to be Coast City, clutching the remains of a doll—the only physical evidence of the seven million people who once lived there. In a moment of pure anguish, Hal uses hispower ring to re-create Coast City, down to the people who had previously died, including his father. When his ring's energy runs out, one of theGuardians of the Universe contacts him via a holographic projection to tell him he is in violation of one of the principal rules of theGreen Lantern Corps, which forbids Lanterns from using their rings for personal gain. Enraged at their apathy, Hal siphons energy from the projection and makes his way to the Guardians' planetOa, with the intent of bleeding off all the energy from the Main Power Battery to recreate Coast City.
Issue #49 saw him going up against various members of the Green Lantern Corps, each of whom fell against Hal, until he got to Oa. Hal steals the rings from each defeated colleague and leaves them for dead.
Issue #50 sees Hal battle the renegade former Green LanternSinestro on Oa, who had been previously imprisoned in the Main Battery, but released by the Guardians to stop Jordan. Jordan then proceeds to kill Sinestro, as well as his fellow Green LanternKilowog. The Guardians, having realized that their cause was lost, give all their remaining energy to the GuardianGanthet before dying. Hal takes all the energy in the Central Power Battery, and when he emerged from it, he has a new costume and takes the nameParallax.[1]
Ganthet travels to Earth and finds an illustrator namedKyle Rayner (who had been briefly introduced at the end of issue #48 when he saw Hal fly off and mistook his energy trail for a comet). Ganthet gives Kyle the last remaining power ring, thus making him the last Green Lantern.[1] As Parallax, Hal Jordan became a recurring villain in the DC Universe.
In "Emerald Fallout", which takes place in issues #18–21 ofGuy Gardner: Warrior,Guy Gardner receives a vision of the events of "Emerald Twilight". Guy, along withWonder Woman,Alan Scott,Arisia Rrab,Darkstar Ferrin Colos,Martian Manhunter,Captain Atom, andRay go to what was left of Oa. He challenges Hal and is defeated when Hal melts his power ring.
The character played a central role during theZero Hour storyline. Later Hal displays his final act of heroism, sacrificing his life to reignite the Sun at the conclusion ofThe Final Night storyline. Redeemed in the eyes of many of his fellow heroes, he received a hero's funeral. Not fit either for Heaven orHell, Jordan's soul was destined for Purgatory, until he became the host of theSpectre inDay of Judgment.[1]
InGreen Lantern: Rebirth, Hal Jordan's actions were revealed to be the result of being under the influence of the fear entityParallax.
Originally "Emerald Twilight" was scripted byGerard Jones and according toPreviews Vol. III #8 (Aug 1993) and the November 1993Comics Scoreboard, was to involve two sets of the extraterrestrial altruists known as theGuardians and Hal Jordan, a member of their intergalactic police force, the Green Lanterns, having to choose which set was real. DC Editorial did not think this idea was interesting enough to draw new readers so then-publisherPaul Levitz, along with senior group editorsMike Carlin,Dennis O'Neil, andArchie Goodwin, and Green Lantern editorKevin Dooley plotted the "Emerald Twilight" story. It was given toRon Marz to write.[2]
