DC Database
Register
Advertisement

Down to Earth

The Road Back is a Green Lantern storyline by Gerard Jones and Alan Davis, beginning their Green Lantern volume. It features Guy Gardner, Hal Jordan and John Stewart vying for the position of last member of the Green Lantern Corps.

Synopsis

Down to Earth
After years of being Green Lantern, Hal Jordan becomes eager to get his "feet back on the ground" and look for a stable job and a place to live. He starts traveling the country, trying different towns to settle in. During his stay in Hope Springs (formerly known as "Desolation"), Hal befriends Rose Lewis Hardin, with whom he hopes to settle down. However, his search for peace gets constantly interrupted by the presence of Guy Gardner or another threat that forces him to reveal himself as Green Lantern and, in consequence, move to another town.

Meanwhile on Oa
John Stewart, unable to cope with the recent traumas in his life (the death of his wife, Katma, and his failure to save the planet Xanshi from destruction), heads to Oa looking for counsel. Upon reaching the planet, John finds the former Guardian Appa Ali Apsa. The Guardian, however, now mad after spending so much time in solitude, kidnaps John Stewart and uses their combined powers to take entire cities from different worlds, like Earth, Xudar, Maltus, and others, in a delusional attempt to create a "happy community."

The mad Guardian keeps tight control over John's mind, but the Green Lantern manages to slip past Appa's control to warn Hal Jordan. John's warning, along with the discovery of Hope Springs' disappearance, convinces Hal to say his oath once again and head to Oa.

Unfortunately for Hal, he also falls under Appa's telepathic control, and he's unable to confront the Guardian or escape the planet. Appa places him in Rose's house in Hope Springs, and he learns of the patchwork community Appa is building. Slipping past Appa's mental lock, Hal sends a signal to Guy Gardner on Earth, who also heads to Oa and, again, gets captured by Appa.

Still, Jordan manages to make his way to the Central Power Battery by disguising his thoughts while the Guardian directed his attention toward the invading Gardner. He enters the Battery hoping its remaining energies to give him a boost of power like it did fifteen years ago. He comes out unchanged but still confronts the Guardian and fails. Appa now has all three Green Lanterns under his control. However, that was part of Hal's plan because he expected his intrusion into the Battery to alert the original Guardians, who return from their interdimensional retreat. The Guardians confront Appa and free the Green Lanterns, who tend to Oa's residents' safety from the raging aliens under Appa's control. However, Appa takes control of John's mind again and uses him to fight the Guardians while he absorbs Oa's energies. Hal realizes that the Guardians are sacrificing their fighting power to maintain Oa's gravity and protect the transplanted cities. Hal convinces Pazu Pinder Pol to tell the other Guardians to give up on the gravitational field to conserve their power. Then, Hal uses John Stewart's mind connection with Appa Ali Apsa to project feelings of loneliness into the rogue Guardian's mind. The result of seeing the cities transplanted onto the planet being torn from its surface, combined with feelings of loneliness, leads Appa Ali Apsa to release his control of Oa's power. The Guardians then blast him with their power, killing him.

Aftermath
Following the battle against Appa Ali Apsa, the Guardians decide to stay on Oa and restore the Green Lantern Corps. For that matter, they will rebuild the Central Battery to create new rings, while the three remaining Green Lanterns take care of new tasks. One will scour the universe and recruit new members; another will remain on Oa to help them rebuild and look over the displaced cities, and the last will return to Earth on Sector 2814.

While John and Guy discuss their futures, Hal visits Rose, who is rebuilding her house. Hal reassures her that he's both Hal Jordan and a Green Lantern and that he'll do his best to fulfill both roles as best as he can. After making amends with Rose, Hal declares his "mid-life crisis" is over and reaffirms his status as Green Lantern.

Issues


Recommended Reading

Links and References


DC Rebirth Logo
Green Lantern No Fear TP
Green Lantern Storyline
This event or storyline specifically revolves around the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Green Lantern Storylines category.
Advertisement