by
      SEAN
      McQUAID
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ha
      comic8industry
      that’s
      often
      devoted
      to
      meaningless.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      salesshype,
      ‘““cosmic’’
      stories
      are
      usually
      a
      dime-a-
     
     
      dozen,
      éspecially.
      whenyourcharacters
      are
      oftensu
     
    
   
   
    
     
      premely
      powerful
      beings.
      *‘Epics®’
      like
      Marvel’
      $
      Over-—
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rated
      Infinity
      Gauritlet.titles:are
      often’
      more
      spéctacle
      than
     
     
      substance‘and
      wholly
      lacking
      in
      imagination:
      Thankfully,
      none
     
     
      of
      those
      criticisms
      apply
      to
      the
      recently
      released
      Green
      Lan-
     
     
      term;,.Gantlet’s
      Tale
      book.
      DC-has,in
      this
      case,
      managed
      to
     
     
      produce
      a
      thought-
      provoking,
      entertaining;and.visually
      stun-
     
     
      ning
      piece
      of
      comics:
      literature.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      those.
      unfamiliar
      With
      the
      title
      Poittecer,
      Green
      Lantern
     
     
      refers
      to
      Earthman
      Hal
      Jordan,
      who
      is.the
      ‘
      ‘Green
      Lantern”™.of
     
     
      Earth,
      chosen
      for
      virtue
      and
      fearlessness
      and
      givénaring-like
     
     
      weapon
      thatallows
      him
      to
      tapand
      manipulate
      a
      near
      limitless
     
     
      green
      énergy
      by
      means
      of
      his
      willpower,
      so
      long
      as
      hecharges
     
     
      the
      ring
      each
      day
      athis
      lantern,
      which
      in
      turn
      drawsits
      limitless.
     
     
      power
      from
      the
      planet
      Oa;
      home
      of
      the
      selfproclaimed
      *‘Guatd-
     
     
      ians
      of
      the
      Universe’?;who
      recruit
      beings
      such
      as
      Jordan
      to.
      serve
     
     
      as
      members
      of
      an
      intergalactic
      police
      force
      called
      the
      Green
     
     
      Lantern-Corps.
      The
      Guardians
      and
      the-GL€
      have
      long
      been
     
    
   
   
    
     
      majorreéurring
      figures
      inthe
      DC
      Contics
      continuity
      and
      figured”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prominently
      in
      D@*s
      ground-breaking
      Crisis
      on
      Infinite
      Earths
     
     
      series,
      where
      thé
      tale
      Was
      repeated
      of
      how
      evil
      first
      began
      to
     
     
      spread
      in
      theuwniverse
      ‘millennia
      ago
      when
      an
      Oan
      scientist
     
     
      named
      Krona
      dared
      to
      break
      his
      immortal,
      advanced
      people’s
     
     
      strongest
      law
      by
      attempting
      to
      observe
      the
      beginning
      of
      the
     
     
      universe
      through
      time,
      the
      one
      piece
      of
      knowledge
      thatthe
      Oans
     
     
      agreed
      they
      were
      not
      meant
      to
      know.
      Kronacaught
      a
      glimpse
     
     
      of
      a
      cosmic
      hand
      forming
      galaxies
      in-its-palm
      beforé
      the
     
     
      maghine
      blew
      up
      in
      his
      face
      and.released,
      according
      to
      legend,
     
     
      the
      force
      ofevil.in
      the
      universe,
      a
      force
      the
      Green
      Lantern
      Corps
     
     
      was
      formed
      to
      combat.
      “*This
      of
      course,
      is
      a
      lie,’’
      we
      are
      told
     
     
      in
      the
      retelling
      of
      the
      legend
      at
      the
      opening
      of
      Ganthet’s
      Tale.
     
     
      From
      there,
      author
      Larry
      Niven
      goes
      om
      to
      reveal
      the
      truth
     
     
      behind
      that
      lie,
      and
      how
      the,secret
      therein
      threatens
      the
      destruc-
     
     
      tion
      of
      all
      that‘exists.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      talé’s
      catalyst
      is
      Ganthet,
      amaverick
      Guardian
      who
      comes
     
     
      to
      Earth
      to
      enlist
      Hal
      Jordan’s
      help
      in
      finding
      a
      hidden
      commu-
     
     
      nity
      of
      Maltusians
      (the
      mother
      race
      of
      which
      Oans
      are
      an
     
     
      offshoot)
      n
      Earth
      to
      serve
      as
      new
      recruits
      for
      the
      Corps.
      They
     
     
      soon
      ferret
      out
      the
      hidden
      community,
      learning
      that
      these
     
     
      Maltusians
      and
      their
      ancestors
      had
      beena
      hidden
      race
      on
      Earth
     
     
      forcenturies,
      and
      were
      the
      source
      of
      legends
      such
      as
      those
      of
     
     
      leprechauns,
      fairies,
      and
      Arthurian
      mystics.
      Content
      for
      dec-
     
     
      ades
      to
      be
      secluded
      from
      humans
      in
      what
      wilderness
      remains
      on
     
     
      Earth,
      the
      Maltusian
      tribe
      are
      uninterested
      in
      their
      birthright
      to
     
     
      join
      the
      advanced
      culture
      of
      their
      brethren
      on
      Oa,
      and
      Ganthé
     
     
      finds
      only
      onerecru
      isian
      named
      Percival
      who
      segs
     
     
      the
      Corps
      the
      heroi
      t
      he’
      once
      upheld
      al
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      never
      exist,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SL
      tty
      CE
      alee
      EN
      Me
      ae
      ee
      MU
      OE
      She
      ty
      Bee
      Tee
      a
      ee
      Ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      illusion
      placed
      in
      the
      time
      stream
      by
      the
      Oans
      countless
      cen-
     
     
      turies
      age
      to
      confuse
      and
      intimidate
      any
      being
      who
      sought
      to
     
     
      strike
      at
      the
      Oans
      by
      travelling
      back
      to
      the
      days’of
      their
     
     
      civilization’s
      emergence.
      The
      universe’s
      true
      origin
      is
      imper-
     
     
      ceptible,
      but
      by
      letting
      hisown
      time
      probes
      reflect
      forward
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘this
      chaos,
      Ganthet
      saw
      what
      the
      ‘‘celestial
      hand”’
      image
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      been
      meant
      to
      distract
      people
      from;
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      Maltusians
     
     
      (later
      the
      Oans)
      were,
      at
      an
      early
      stage
      in
      their
      development,
     
     
      warlike
      savages.
      Ganthet-goeson
      to
      reveal
      the
      more
      terrible
     
     
      secret,
      that
      Krona’s
      crime
      had
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
          
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      as
      Ganthet
      did
      but
      attempting,to
      see
      t
     
     
      fooking
      past
      the
      cage
      of
      time,
      when
      theu
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      billion
      years,
      snufi
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      was
      actually
      to
      atone
      for
      this
      secret
      monstrosity
      that
      the
     
     
      Green
      Lantern
      Corps
      was
      founded,
      and
      now
      a
      desperate
      Ganthe!
     
     
      reveals
      his
      race’s
      hidden
      shame
      to
      Hal
      Jordon
      and
      Percival
      s0
     
     
      that
      they
      can
      join
      him
      in
      trying
      to
      stop
      renegade
      Maltusians
     
     
      fromduplicating
      Krona’s
      expemient.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it’s
      awonderful
      science
      fiction
      story,
      as
      one
      would
      expect
      from
     
     
      2
      -winning
      science
      fiction
      writer
      Larry
      Niven
      who
      makes
     
     
      iy
      into
      comic
      books
      with
      this
      book.
      niven’s
      tale
      of
     
     
      rets
      and
      impending
      martvcr
      tat
      doom
      has
      the
      kindof
     
     
      eServes
      the
      term
      ‘‘cosmic’’,
      and
      he
      mixes
      this
      with
     
     
      egend
      and
      myths
      in
      the
      ‘
      ‘Gieen
      Knight’’
      Percival
     
     
      not
      to
      mention
      the
      modern
      ‘‘superheroic’
     
    

    
     
      en
      Lantern
      Hal
      Jordon
      comes
      from.
      Ina
      story
     
     
      Jordon
      is
      as
      much
      the
      plot’s
      vehicle
      as
      its
     
     
      t
      would
      be
      easy
      for
      him
      to
      get
      lost
      in
      the
     
     
      s
      careful
      to
      divide
      the
      action
      between
      the