In the vast annals that make up the Green Lantern Corps mythos, the Blue Lanterns are a Corps powered by the emotion of hope. A shining beacon to rally behind when things are at their worst, these Blue Lanterns are a supportive team created to help other Corps along the Emotional Spectrum when needed, and help bring whatever foes are threatening the cosmic balance of the universe to their knees when called for.
But not all Corps are created equal, and while the Red Lanterns might harness the overwhelming power of pure rage and the Star Sapphires the intoxicating power of unadulterated love, the Blue Lanterns are decidedly less powerful in one key area that other Corps excel in; for the physical act of fighting on the stage of battle, the Blue Lanterns are the absolute worst.
Introduced by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver in the action packed Green Lantern #25, the Blue Lanterns, founded by Ganthet and Sayd, two of the Green Lanterns’ bosses recently departed from the greater Guardians of the Universe collective, came onto the scene when Green Lantern Hal Jordan needed it most. After being ambushed by the Red Lantern Corps, headed by the monstrous brute, Atrocitus, as Hal is transporting Sinestro, leader of the feared Yellow Lanterns, to the planet Korugar for his execution, Saint Walker, the first of the Blue Lanterns, intervenes on behalf of Hal, healing him and recharging his willpower-fueled power ring in the process.
And it’s here where the beginnings of a symbiotic yet totally support-related role with the Green Lanterns begins. While other Corps focus on fighting the good fight with the offensive capabilities bestowed upon them by their power rings and emotion of choice, the Blue Lanterns quite literally have no say in how they help the greater good. Complete with the most basic abilities granted to ring-users such as flight and a protective aura, the Blue Lanterns’ fighting prowess exclusively relies on their proximity to a Green Lantern as they can overcharge any green power ring, augmenting their own defensive and healing capabilities in the process.
Even with the head-scratching inability to fend for themselves in a physical sense, the Blue Lanterns more than make up for their curative mentality by also being able to affect other Corps in the most unusual ways. For example, not only can Blue Lanterns recharge and bolster Green Lantern rings, but they can also depower Yellow Lantern rings, neutralize the harmful effects of Red Lanterns and temporarily block and nullify the properties inherent to the parasitic Orange Lanterns. The Blue Lanterns might never run away from a fight, but the power of hope is nothing without the willpower of a Green Lantern to enact it, so it’s always best for them to tackle any cosmic problems together.
Through the unique act of linking up with a member of the Green Lantern Corps, these hopeful Blue Lanterns hands-down have the least combat-ready rings in all of DC Comics, yet in a way they also have the most powerful ones. And although it isn’t always the most fun taking on the healer role in a galaxy-spanning conflict such as the Black Lantern-led Blackest Night event, these Lanterns will always have an integral role in saving the universe, just without a giant blue boxing glove construct pummeling bad guys into submission.
