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InDC Comics , theGreen Lantern Corpsisa grouping of brawny space copsthat protect and function the galaxy to the best of their ability , and within their ranks exists an elite squad dubbed theAlpha Lanternsthat are utilized in ways which regularGreen Lanternsaren’t . differ ever so slightly from their colleagues in term of their look , power set , origin , and more , these Lanterns are hands down a military group to be reckoned with .
But who precisely are these Alpha Lanterns , and what sets them apart from the Hal Jordans and Kyle Rayners of the Corps ? Furthermore , why have they fallen by the wayside over the old age , and how do they pile up against the Guardian of the Universe ’s other galactic endeavors linked to the willpower wavelength of thecolorful Emotional Spectrum ?
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The Origins of the Alpha Lanterns
create after the epic story arc of theSinestro Corps Waralmost brought the Green Lantern Corps to their knees during the Sinestro - led intrusion of Earth , the creation of the Alpha Lanterns were seen as a much - needed response to the growing galactic concerns of the Green Lanterns ’ bosses jointly known as the Guardians of the Universe . represent as firebrand new additions to the already robust Green Lantern Corps , these Alpha Lanterns were made to actively police all Lantern officer , implement the newly developed police force theGuardians of the Universepenciled into the Book of Oa ( like finally appropriate Lanterns to expend lethal force ) , and above all else , act as radiate examples for what Green Lantern enlistee should be striving for as they protect the galaxy .
Considered to be the highest honor among all Green Lanterns , the Guardians selected six individuals to be “ converted ” to Alpha Lantern condition , five of which finally carry on these highly demanding roles . Choosing the aggressive Boodikka , the crystallization - like revolve being known as Chaselon , the misfit describe Green Man , the Apokoliptian called Kraken , the hypochondriac nominate Varix , and in the end the fan - preferred Lantern of John Stewart , the Guardians were all set with a radical of firm Lanterns that they believed would stop at nothing to sway out their duties . And althoughJohn Stewarteventually determine against being turned into an Alpha Lantern due to some qualm about the room their responsibility were outlined , the eternal rest went through with their conversions to become something never seen before in the DC Universe .
The Power of the Alpha Lanterns
call for to be physically transform via a sort of cybernetic conversion surgery that saw each Lantern have a mini version of a Power Battery tuck into their bodies , the Alpha Lanterns straightaway became the most powerful kind of Lanterns around , while holding a kind of logistic efficiency that the Guardians ’ pre - immature Lantern experiments known as the Manhunters possess almost to a flaw . Linking their minds to the Lantern Bible that is the Book of Oa as well as having a direct line to theCentral Power Batterydue to their personal batteries ’ special abilities , these Alpha Lanterns never ask to recharge their rings in the traditional way , giving them versatility and a sensation of power that normal Lanterns do not possess .
Acting as internal affairs officers once they ’ve been in full inducted into the Corps , the Alpha Lanterns ’ power set is fairly standardised to even Lanterns , just with the impart boost of being far more powerful and effective in their use of them . Capable of trajectory , the power to manifest constructs , a never - ending provision of Emotional Spectrum energy , and a more consistent mindset that oftentimes helped them in their duties as much as it hurt , these Lanterns were the pinnacle of law enforcement for some time before thing started to go sidewise for theGreen Lanternsand Alpha Lanterns alike .
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The Journey of the Alpha Lanterns
feature in classic DC Comics stories such as Grant Morrison ’s epicFinal Crisisevent and the zombie - ting crossing that wasBlackest Night , the Alpha Lanterns ’ land tenure in the Corps was cut short after a series of events led to their corruption on more than one occasion . Taken ascendency of duringFinal Crisisby the Darkseid - relate villain of Granny Goodness , Alpha Lantern Kraken was the first to succumb to the outside influence of someone other than the Guardians , with the events ofBlackest Nightshowing even more so how strict and by the Good Book these Lanterns can be .
Moving onto a story titled “ insurrection of the Alpha Lanterns , ” this arc find the return key of Hank Henshaw aka Cyborg Superman , who is shown to have secretly subverted and taken controller of near every Alpha Lantern in the Corps to use for his own villainous substance . entice a Guardian of the Universe name Ganthet into his clutches , Cyborg Superman reveals that he ’s been forcibly convert Lanterns into Alphas and wants Ganthet to do a reverse surgery to return them to their constitutive contour . Revealing that he needs to get a way to transform himself from a likewise constructed bionic woman into a human of build and bloodline so he can execute his obsessional death want , Cyborg Supermanis eventually defeated by Alpha Lantern Boodikka who is able-bodied to force him to release those he ’s reserve under his thrall , ultimately bringing these lantern back to their lawful place in the Corps .
Where Are The Alpha Lanterns Now?
finally wrick on his crew , Alpha Lantern Varix raze and vote out his fellow with the help of a freed John Stewart and Guy Gardner , and end himself in the backwash as he believed that the Alpha Lanterns as a whole had disgraced the Corps with their actions , solidifying this incident as the final nail in the casket for these overtake Lanterns . Placed in the hallowed halls of the Crypt of the Green Lantern Corps , the dead body of the Alpha Lanterns remain there today , potentially bushed forever or simply hold back to be vivify as a unexampled version of the Alpha Lanterns sometime soon .
So while the Alpha Lanterns have n’t been seen incurrent Green Lantern continuityafter these harrowing events , there will undoubtedly always be a way for them to come back and make their presence known should the DC Universe involve their services again . TheAlpha Lanternswere once a sinewy part of theGreen Lantern Corps , and until the Guardians of the Universe inevitably find a raw way to spring up an even more muscular variant of these Lanterns , they ’ll go down in Oan story as the best - botched idea of all time .
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