Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Green Lantern: War Journal #10!The strongestGreen Lanternto ever exist in the DC Universe is finally being challenged by a force that truly rivals him. John Stewart has crossed the event horizon and ventured into theDark Star of the Fenn, the realm of the powerful Old God, Olgrun.
Thanks to becoming one with the Source, John Stewart is more powerful than ever. But that raw strength has made hima magnet for Olgrunand his terrifying army, the Radiant Dead. With the threat of Olgrun looming, John has gone to confront his rival in a head-to-head confrontation. Unfortunately, it might be a bit more than Green Lantern can handle.
Green Lantern Faces His Godlike Counterpart, Olgrun
InGreen Lantern: War Journal #10by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Montos, Adriano Lucas, and Dave Sharpe, John has traveled through the Dark Star of the Fenn against the advice of the Old God Byla to find Queen Ajna’s ring. However, once John enters the dark, mysterious void, he begins to relive memories from Olgrun’s day, before he went mad and killed his daughter.Green Lantern nearly realizes that these memories aren’t his, but falls back into the illusionthat Olgrun is creating for him.
Just as Olgrun’s godlike power was shaped by loss and pain, so too was John Stewar’s power.
As Olgrun’s spirit continues the influence John, the Emerald Knight relives more memories. However, he begins to notice things aren’t right again when he sees his hands becoming transformed by the poisonous light associated with Olgrun’s Radiant Dead. John finally snaps out of it, only for a manifestation of Olgrun to attack Green Lantern.Olgrun tells Green Lantern that everything he’s done and all the power John has amassed has led to him becoming Olgrun’s vessel, but Stewart isn’t giving in that easily.
John puts up a valiant fight, saying he’s dealt with gods before and that the thing he’s fighting isn’t even the true Olgrun, just a spirit poisoned by grief and rage. However, Ajna steps in and tells Green Lantern that his own willpower has been forged in the same way. Just as Olgrun’s godlike power was shaped by loss and pain, so too was John Stewar’s power. Green Lantern falls to Olgrun’s influence once again as Ajna emphasizes thatno one makes a better vessel for Olgrun than John Stewart.
Who is Olgrun and Why Does He Need Green Lantern?
Olgrun is a god of the First World and one of the most powerful beings of his day. One day, the mighty being went mad with rage and killed everything in his path, including his own daughter. The other Old Gods brought him down, but as they were unable to kill him, they fragmented his essence down to several aspects and scattered them throughout the multiverse. For eons, Olgrun laid dormant. But in his determination to liberate Warworld,Superman reclaimed one aspect, the Fire of Olgrun.
Sometime later, after John Stewart had consumed a cosmic phenomenon known as a Godstorm, an army known as the Radiant Dead invaded the DC Universe. Led by the Revenant Queen, the monsters pursued Stewart, intent on converting him and adding him to their ranks. With help from rookie Green Lantern Caolán Shepherd, Stewart briefly managed to turn the tables on the Radiant Dead. That is until the Revenant Queen revealed that the Radiant Dead were extensions of Olgrun’s power and thatthe Old God was determined to possess Green Lantern and use his body to live again.
The Revenant Queen ushered John to the far side of the DC Universe where he was rescued by Byla-Voq, another Old God who was using his power to keep Olgrun’s forces within the eerie Dark Star of the Fenn. Byla told John everything he needed to know about Olgrun, including how he could possibly close the Dark Star for good. With no other option,Green Lantern ventured into the Dark Star to retrieve the ring that once belonged to Olgrun’s daughterand shut off his connection to the living world for good.
Green Lantern and Olgrun are Two Sides of the Same Coin
At first, it seemed like Olgrun simply wanted to possess John because he’s currently the most powerful Green Lantern around. John’s feats as of late go beyond what he’s been capable of in the past. Not only was powerful enough to bring the Green Lantern Corps back from complete annihilation, but he’s also become able to create sentient constructs (modeling one after his late sister Ellie). But this issue makes it clear that it’snot just raw power that Olgrun is looking for in a host.
Olgrun doesn’t just want a powerful vessel. He wants one that understands pain and trauma…
Ajna, or at least the corrupted memory of her, highlights the similarities between John and Olgrun. In the same way that Olgrun’s mighty power was shaped by his rage and grief, John’s godlike strength was similarly forged.Green Lantern: War Journalhas done a dive into John’s history and revealed quite a bit of his past. Growing up, John lost his little little sister and his father and now he’s facing the difficult reality of his mother dealing with dementia. Knowingly or not,Green Lantern’s pain has shaped his power and Olgrun sees much of himself in Stewart.
Most hero/villain dynamics often have the two sides reflect one another. Just as Olgrun was the mightiest of the Old Gods, John is the strongest of the Green Lanterns. And both men have faced immeasurable tragedy in their lives. Olgrun doesn’t just want a powerful vessel. He wants one that understands pain and trauma because that’s what the Old God knows firsthand. Olgrun believes that he can make a connection between his pain and John’s,making it that much easier for the mad god to possess Green Lantern.
Can Green Lantern Defeat Olgrun?
Green Lantern said it himself: He’s tangled with gods before and come out victorious. However, Olgrun is a different beast. This is a monster who turned rage and grief into one of the deadliest armies in the DC Universe. Right now, things are looking grim for John as Olgrun has the hero right where he wants him. Hopefully, Stewart can find a way to break this hold Olgrun is attempting to make. If not,Green Lantern’spain might cause him to become the host body for a powerful monster hellbent on destruction.
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name given to multiple enforcers of intergalactic justice in the DC Universe. Green Lanterns can harness the cosmic energy of willpower, and create unique spectral objects to face off against their enemies. Though some Green Lanterns have assisted with the Justice League, they primarily belong to the Green Lantern Corps.
