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experiment in adult content in a mainstream comic book title ended with issue #90 in
April–May of 1972.
After the turn toward social realism, the title reverted back to an even more extreme
look at the science fi ction aspects of the character. Th e continuation of the Green
Lantern story moved away from the Green Lantern of Earth and started to look
into the adventures of Green Lanterns from other planets in the universe. Since the
mid-1970s there have also been two characters that have served as alternative Green
Lanterns to the Green Lantern of Earth: Guy Gardner, who was supposed to be the
Green Lantern had he not been so far away, and John Stewart, an African Ameri-
can architect who was Green Lantern after Hal Jordan resigned from the Corp for a
period of time. Th e 1990s into the 2000s have been a particularly interesting time for
Green Lantern. In January of 1994, Kyle Rayner became the new Green Lantern after
the destruction of Hal Jordan’s home of Coast City, and Jordan’s subsequent men-
tal and emotional breakdown. Since then, Alan Scott has reappeared and was briefl y
rechristened the Sentinel, and Hal Jordan has taken on the identities of Parallax, Th e
Spectre and is, as of this writing, serving once again as the Green Lantern for Space
Sector 2814, which includes Earth.
Jason Gallagher
GRENDEL. Introduced in 1980 in Comico Primer , Grendel is representative of the
prominence of villain-protagonists in the comics of the 1980s. Created by Matt Wag-
ner (writer and artist) as a compelling personifi cation of darkness and evil, Grendel is
nevertheless a complex and ever-evolving character who changes greatly throughout
the twisting, turning, and violent plot line of the series. Th e original Grendel is an
anonymous individual who has assumed the identity of the novelist Hunter Rose,
but he assumes a series of other identities in the series as well. Wagner has alluded to
Grendels predating Hunter Rose, but there are no stories of them to date. Running a
criminal empire while maintaining the facade of a socialite’s life, Grendel is merciless,
aside from his compulsion to protect a young girl, Stacey Palumbo. Physically, he is
lithe, dresses entirely in black aside from white gloves/gauntlets, and wears a full-face
mask tied behind his head. His principal weapon is an electrifi ed double fork on a
long staff.
Th e initial Grendel ’s principal foe is the police detective Argent, a man-wolf. A cursed
Algonquin Indian, Argent is driven to stop Grendel at any means. Both are protective
of the child Stacey Palumbo. When Grendel mistakenly believes Argent has abducted
Stacy, he insists on a battle that kills Rose and badly wounds Argent, who dies in battle
with Rose’s successor. Th is story is told in the original Grendel title and retold in an Art
Deco–driven visual tour de force, a series of backup stories in Wagner’s book Mage ,
later collected as Devil By the Deed. All subsequent Grendel stories have “Devil” in their
titles.
At this point, Grendel becomes a mantle of aggression, power, and self-destruction.
Th e next Grendel is Stacey’s daughter, Christine Spar, who assumes the identity to fi ght
