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Geoff Johns Steps Down as GREEN LANTERN Writer

After nine years, Johns leaves behind Hal Jordan, Simon Baz, and the expansive world he has created.

Today marks the end of one of the most memorable runs in recent comic book history. Geoff Johns announced he is stepping down as writer of GREEN LANTERN. Johns began his run in 2004 of the mini-series GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and rebooted the world of Green Lantern for a new generation of DC readers.

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Geoff Johns took a good character (Hal Jordan) and made him great after Hal's reintroduction into the DC Universe. Johns expanded on the Green Lantern world by creating a plethora of new Lantern characters from the whole spectrum of light and gave us great story lines like the Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night.

I'm really proud of all the stuff we've built with Green Lantern — from Larfleeze to the different corps...The universe has expanded and will live well past my run. It was more than just telling another story, but really giving back to the character by expanding and adding to their mythology.
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Johns' last issue will be Green Lantern #20, in which he promises a huge issue, which will be drawn by Doug Mahnke. This final story will be a 64-page issue

I was getting to an end point and a story line that made sense for me. I felt like it was time to close my run and focus all my energies on the Justice League corner of the DC Universe...It was a very, very hard decision. I absolutely love these characters but I felt like I had a story line that really made sense and felt emotionally satisfying and felt very big and very epic.

Johns will continue to write JUSTICE LEAGUE and AQUAMAN. Thank to Geoff Johns for an amazing 9-year run on GREEN LANTERN and reinventing this character for a new age.

What do you guys think about this news? What's your favorite Green Lantern story from Johns' run?

Source: Associated Press

190 Comments

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Skulexander

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Edited By Skulexander

Shocking. I did not expect to see this. I'm not sad, however. GL will get a fresh new take. GJ will move onto new things. Change can be good.

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JoseDRiveraTCR7

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Edited By JoseDRiveraTCR7

Holy F***. I did not expect to leave the book until at least a few more years. I thought he still had some more big stories in him. On the other hand, I'm interested in who will replace him and what they'll bring to the table.

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DDangelico

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Edited By DDangelico

Wow...I wonder who they'll pick.

I hope they get someone like Joshua Hale Fialkov...

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evilvegeta74

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Edited By evilvegeta74

Off to anger management for me!

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AtPhantom

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Edited By AtPhantom

Awesome. Maybe I'll finally be able to read GL again. So who's replacing him?

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roboadmiral

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Edited By roboadmiral

So, he's quitting Green Lantern (the thing he's good at) in order to focus on Justice League (thing thing he's been, at best, mediocre at). What kind of sense does this make?

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TylerTheDestroyer

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@HempKnight757: Too soon man too soon

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lightsout

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Edited By lightsout

O_O.......

I know people give Johns crap, but his GL run was one of my favorite long-term runs in "recent comic history" (just the fact that one writer was on a title for so long, I like the consistency). I love how he delved into all the possible questions of the GL universe (creating the other corps, telling histories, etc), it really helped create a long-term over-arching story going (as opposed to say, Superman fighting a baddy for a few issues, then it's wrapped up & we move on). I think I'd have to say my favorite stories would be the Sinestro Corps War and the recent arc where Hal & Sinestro uncover the "secrets" of the Indigo Corps (& Abin Sur's suspicions of the Guardians).

This sure is a bummer to hear :/

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dernman

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Edited By dernman

Nothing to take away from Johns but I'm ready for some fresh blood.

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wessaari

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Edited By wessaari

Really impressive that he stayed on for 9 freaking years. My hats off to you Geoff, and I hope you got some more great stores to come

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Billy Batson

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Edited By Billy Batson

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD.
BB

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tchalla3000

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Edited By tchalla3000

Good new for me, Justice League and Aquaman wins, and wow, people are funny and ridiculous with the "NOOOOOOOO"

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MCWachner

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Edited By MCWachner

Green Lantern by Geoff Johns were my first comics and I loved 'em! Still do! I didn't want to see him leave but I guess that every story has to come to an end! I wish him the best of luck with all of his other works!

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jaytiz27

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Edited By jaytiz27

Oh dear, I'm really gutted his green lantern got me obsessed with comics.... I hope Hal goes back to the justice league now.

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Supreme Marvel

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Edited By Supreme Marvel

BRING BACK KYLE RAYNER!!!!

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yo_yo_fun

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Edited By yo_yo_fun

Wow...I didn't see this coming. Green Lantern is the last title I would've expected him to cut.

:/

This is really sad, Geoff Johns redefined Green Lantern. It'll be weird to pick up the book without his name on it.

I hope whoever replaces him is up for the challenge!

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CrashofRhinos

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Edited By CrashofRhinos

Curious, very curious. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, i.e his replacement.

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ThomasElliot

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Edited By ThomasElliot
@ptigrusmagus said:
So was Simon Baz even Geoff's idea? Why is he leaving so soon after introducing the new GL? Rise of the Third Army was subpar, extremely underwhelming, especially the "ending" - which cost $5 too much. DC please ditch Baz and reinstate Hal or reboot GL, should have been done with the rest of the DCU after Flashpoint anyways. Either way glad I can add GL back onto my pull list, it was time for a change.
Exactly, all of it.  Johns may have brought some great things to GL in the past (things I truly enjoyed and appreciate), but this last run under the new 52 was pathetic.  Third Army is a sucky Star Trek Borg rip off (also been done before by DC as OMAC/Brother Eye during Infinite Crisis) that somehow went back in time to the 1980s for its art design by the same people who created He-Man.
 
And Simon Baz? Laughable.  Friend of mine keeps asking "What's with the Green Lantern with a gun?"... because of that awful #0 cover... and moreover, an Arab-American just HAPPENS to steal a van with a bomb in it?  Not only that, but he was't even framed, which would be typical, but more believable than it being totally coincidental.  What's next after an idea like that? A Chinese Green Lantern who happens to do battle in a fortune cookie factory? Bleh.
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k4tzm4n

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Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator

Wait a second... 
 
Are Geoff and the Pope switching jobs?

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ThomasElliot

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@Supreme Marvel said:

BRING BACK KYLE RAYNER!!!!

Green Lantern New Guardians.  He's shaping up to be a Lantern of All Colors... um, the Benetton Lantern?  
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Grey56

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Edited By Grey56

Tip of the cap to the man who turned an also ran into something DC can hang their hat on. What a great, great run. Many thanks - sir.

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AtPhantom

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Edited By AtPhantom

@k4tzm4n said:

Wait a second... Are Geoff and the Pope switching jobs?

NEXT UP: The Catholic Corps War.

@lightsout said:

I love how he delved into all the possible questions of the GL universe (creating the other corps, telling histories, etc),

Hahahaha. Johns strangled the GL universe to the point where people can no longer imagine lanterns fighting anyone but other lanterns. That's terrible.

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k4tzm4n

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Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator
@AtPhantom said:

@k4tzm4n said:

Wait a second... Are Geoff and the Pope switching jobs?

NEXT UP: The Catholic Corps War.

@lightsout said:

I love how he delved into all the possible questions of the GL universe (creating the other corps, telling histories, etc),

Hahahaha. Johns strangled the GL universe to the point where people can no longer imagine lanterns fighting anyone but other lanterns. That's terrible.

If I had a drink, that would've made me spit it.
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TheCommissar

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Edited By TheCommissar

About damn time. Maybe now Green Lantern can go back to fun space cop stories, instead of Rainbow Corps crisis after Rainbow Corps crisis.

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Supreme Marvel

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@ThomasElliot said:

@Supreme Marvel said:

BRING BACK KYLE RAYNER!!!!

Green Lantern New Guardians. He's shaping up to be a Lantern of All Colors... um, the Benetton Lantern?

Damn. I need to catch up with my GL world.

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lifeboy

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Edited By lifeboy

@Xwraith said:

Second most surprising story I've heard today

Whats the 1st?

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Lvenger

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Edited By Lvenger

@Gambit1024: Fair enough. I might stick with the change for a few months, see how it pans out.

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braynehurricane

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Edited By braynehurricane

@lifeboy: Probably the Pope announcing his resignation...

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JLFan15

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Edited By JLFan15

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

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BatteredArmor

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Edited By BatteredArmor

He shall be missed

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DEGRAAF

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Edited By DEGRAAF

HE will be missed.

Im just afraid to think of what will happen after he is gone

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lostlantern13

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Edited By lostlantern13

It's sad for us Lantern fans, but it's time. Nine years with one franchise is a long time and Geoff really took it as far as he could, which was beyond anyone's imagination. He really revamped the franchise and made it an actual franchise. His work with Sinestro has been fantastic, Black Hand is actually a legitimate villain now, and Simon Baz looks to be a fixture for sometime, too. However, it's time for a new take on the universe. There'll be plenty of toys to play with in the sandbox for the next writer and I look forward to giving them a fair chance to tell their stories.

Thank you, Geoff, for bringing me back to comics. His Aquaman run already looks to be just as strong.

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Zeeguy91

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Edited By Zeeguy91

@TheMess1428 said:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

@braynehurricane said:

I'm greatly saddened by this news. It was Johns' run on GL that really got me into comics again. That said, he's done such a great job expanding the mythology and adding depth to characters making that corner of the universe the better for it. Despite my anxieties, I'm excited to see who will come in to herald a new saga and I hope they have the courage to venture out into unknown territory as well.

Pretty much sums up my feelings on this issue. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.

I'm interested in the new blood, but its still sad to see. Geoff Johns brought Hal Jordan and Green Lantern back from the fringes of obscurity and built a great mythology around the character. And he made him my favorite character in all of comicdom. People complain about the other Corps, but there's no doubt that it added so much to the Green Lantern corner of the DC Universe. Atrocitus, Indigo 1, and Larfleeze are easily some of my favorite DC characters and its sad that the man who created all of them is leaving the GL franchise. Hopefully the person who replaces him can utilize these characters in some way or form.

So, to all of you writing "ding dong, the witch is dead" and "thank god, now I can start reading GL again" and who are chastising those who are expressing sadness at Geoff leaving (you know who you are), please just knock it off. Let those of us who really loved this historic comic book run say goodbye to someone who gave a lot to a character he truly loved. Whoever takes over on Green Lantern has big shoes to fill, that's for sure.

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longbowhunter

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Edited By longbowhunter

Truly the end of an era. But GL needs some fresh blood.

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the_tree

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Edited By the_tree

Really shocking news! I knew that the day would eventually come, but never did I think it would be so soon. I'll really miss his work on the book, Green Lantern is one of the few titles that I look forward to every month. Hopefully he goes out with a bang, just as he started with one, and at least he still gets to write Baz in JLA. Hopefully the next writer is just as good, if not better.

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Zeeguy91

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Edited By Zeeguy91

At least Geoff isn't leaving DC. I can see a lot of his early GL in his current run on Aquaman and he's already been expanding the mythology of that character as well: the Trench, the Others...

And, hopefully, he'll still be writing Hal in Justice League

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Zeeguy91

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Edited By Zeeguy91

You should get Geoff on your next podcast, We need to hear his thoughts on leaving GL.

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deactivated-5c901e667a76c

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Edited By deactivated-5c901e667a76c  Moderator

@lifeboy: I'm pretty sure you've heard about the Pope by now.

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Med

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Edited By Med

The day Geoff Johns stops writing is the day I quit comics.

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SmashBrawler

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Edited By SmashBrawler

Dafuq?

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diarraharris3

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Edited By diarraharris3

I've had my issues with his writing(Wonderwoman, constant story arcs that don't end they just lead into another one) But he is a great writer and hopefully he write another that's not a major one and build it up(EX. Green Lantern & Justice Society).

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Miss_Garrick

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Edited By Miss_Garrick

First JSA, now Green Lantern?!? NOOOOOOO!!! DON'T DO THIS TO ME GEOFF!! He better stay on Aquman for the next ten years, or I will go to his house and stare at him thru the windows till he submits!

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elayem98

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Edited By elayem98

LEAVE JUSTICE LEAGUE NOT GREEN LANTERN! ugh this is stupid

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JamDamage

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Edited By JamDamage

Johns stories actually got me into Green Latern. He made him a staple again. I think of 4 major in DC aside from the trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. I do think it's time for Green Lantern to be grounded on Earth now tho. As much as the stories were great, the whole cosmic thing started getting to be stale to me. It had to take years because of the intro of the other corps, but thats done now. Bring Hal back to Earth. Or least put Simon there and leave him there.

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Imagine_Man15

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Edited By Imagine_Man15

Didn't expect this to happen.

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Zeeguy91

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Edited By Zeeguy91

@diarraharris3 said:

I've had my issues with his writing(Wonderwoman, constant story arcs that don't end they just lead into another one)

But...that's how life usually works. Things don't usually get a nice little ending in life. We deal with some of the same problems years down the line after they initially present themselves.

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Decoy Elite

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Edited By Decoy Elite

I feel sorry for whatever poor writer follows him.

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spinningbirdcake

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Edited By spinningbirdcake

@Xwraith said:

Second most surprising story I've heard today.

What was the first?

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Gambit1024

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Edited By Gambit1024

@Supreme Marvel said:

BRING BACK KYLE RAYNER!!!!

New Guardians. But looking at what he's trying to accomplish in that title (to my knowledge), I'm surprised that he's not the one everyone's keeping an eye on.

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knightofthechronicle

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On the bright side, since Geoff's leaving we're probably going to see a Green Lantern Omnibus at some point in the future. I'm still going to miss Geoff on Green Lantern though.