Warning: Potential Spoilers for Green Lantern: War Journal #5
John Stewart has recently showcased a power that solidifies his position as the most powerful Green Lantern ever—the ability to create sentient, independent life. This unparalleled feat sets him apart from all previous Lanterns and elevates him to a god-tier status, aligning him with DC’s other life-creating entities, such as the fifth-dimensional imps Bat-Mite and Mister Mxyzptlk. However, with great power comes great responsibility… and consequences.
In Green Lantern: War Journal #5, Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos continue to impress with a riveting narrative that explores John Stewart’s personal struggles involving his mother and the weighty responsibility of combating the cosmic plague called Radiant Dead. In a previous issue, John and his mother were attacked by Lanterns infected with Radiant Dead.
Though John emerged victorious, the attack exacerbated his mother’s preexisting dementia. With the looming threat of Radiant Dead, John reluctantly leaves his mother in the care of trusted allies, but before he departs, he makes a construct of his deceased sister to stand as a guardian over his ailing mother.
The First Ever Sentient and Fully Independent Green Lantern Construct is Created
Green Lantern: War Journal #5 isn’t the first time John is shown creating a construct of his deceased sister, Ellie. Readers also saw him previously create a construct of the young girl in the inaugural issue of the series. John’s mother, grappling with dementia, occasionally forgets that her daughter is dead, and when she can’t locate Ellie, she becomes notably distressed. To ease his mother’s anguish and revive a lost source of her happiness, John will occasionally create constructs featuring his younger sister. However, the construct of Ellie in issue five distinguishes itself from all the previous iterations and is much more than just a construct.
In issue five, John Stewart’s creation of Ellie transcends the realm of a conventional Green Lantern construct. What emerges is a construct that possesses both sentience and independence, capable of persisting and functioning even in John’s absence. This unprecedented Lantern ability challenges the norms, underscoring John’s motto that “a Green Lantern can do anything.” The manifestation of this extraordinary power appears to emanate from John’s innate and unparalleled will and is potentially enhanced by the unique circumstances of wielding a ring reverse-engineered and powered with Genesis energy. This power source may have bolstered John’s already distinctly unique abilities.
John Stewart’s God-Like Powers Could Have Severe Consequences
Despite John’s having the best intentions, the unprecedented nature of what he has created introduces an array of potentially severe consequences. The risks associated with crafting a sentient and independent construct remain unknown, with no precedent to guide expectations. Therefore, there’s no assurance that Ellie won’t develop her own will or begin to malfunction in John’s absence. These possibilities hold the potential for dire repercussions, particularly if Ellie, as a construct, gains the ability to shape her own form. Instead of serving as the guardian John intended her to be, she could potentially transform into a weapon that matches the will of a Green Lantern.
Green Lantern: War Journal #5 is available now from DC Comics.
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