We Are All Lanterns

One of these days Jeopardy is going to have a category on the Green Lantern and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you couldn't answer the questions on the most important aspect of it. Green Lantern may sound dorky and the Emotional Spectrum may sound like a self-help book for getting in touch with your feelings, but I promise it is cool. Before there was life, the universe was black. One day the seven lights of the rainbow pierced the darkness providing life. Eventually a few beings learned how to harness the power of each light giving them the ability of flight and to create any projectile they can imagine. These individuals are Lanterns and to better illustrate how they harnessed the power of light, I've given you examples of people similar to the Lanterns who may resemble someone you know.

Red - Rage
Residing on the very edge of the light spectrum, Red is most difficult of colors to control. Those wielding the Red Light of Rage not only lose their heads, but their hearts as well. When given the Red Lantern Ring, your heart is replaced by the Rage harnessed in your Ring and blood by the Red Light. With nothing but Rage to sustain them, Red Lanterns seek out any and everyone who may have wronged them in the past and spew their fiery blood on them. Everyone here has been burned by the fire that Colin Hilson spits. To all those who've lost a gas card, misplaced a P2 card, messed up a live shot, made a jump cut edit, forgotten to white balance, stuttered, gotten a bad hair cut, worn a tacky shirt, smiled, or said hello to Colin in the hallway, you shall be missed. And don't ever judge Colin's work by saying things like "your shot looks dark." Not only does he NOT have a sun in his pocket, but he will make sure you never see one again. The ire of Colin Hilson is near limitless and his Rage will never be satiated.



Orange - Avarice
The power of greed has affected us all at one time or another. You may have stolen a candy bar, taken someone's girlfriend or boyfriend, or used your neighbor's wireless internet. Regardless, it drives you to get what you want. When one is overcome with desire, that person can use the Orange Ring of Avarice. Its owner consumes its enemies and creates doppelgangers bathed in the Orange Light that now belong solely to said owner. Only one person here has both the desire and the power to get everything. Lynnsey Gardner. When reporting and she wants an interview, no front door or running car engine will stop her. She will have it. When anchoring, don't dare tell her she can't put a story somewhere she wants. She will take control. When partying, the world is her oyster. She will get everything. Free. If these achievements are considered her possessions, and a girl is judged by her possessions, then Lynnsey Gardner is the queen of Orange Lanterns.



Yellow - Fear
"You have the ability to instill great Fear" is what you're told when the Yellow Ring presents itself to you. Calling themselves the Sinestro Corps (named after their leader), those chosen for this great power use it to create constructs that illustrate terror incarnate, spreading Fear throughout the universe to exert their will. No one better exemplifies this than one Lisa Casini. Standing at a mere five feet and looking like she stepped right out of the pages of a Glamour magazine as if to fool us before showing her true color, our beloved director terrifies us into submission. On her bad side? Stiletto shoe to the chest. Not in place? A forceful all-call letting everyone know how lazy and irresponsible you are. Doing a poor job? Get ready to cry, grown man. And don't even think about changing your package script without telling her if you're not ready for a devastatingly ego-bruising "THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE!!!" Yes, Lisa Casini. We all Fear you. And that is why we obey.



Green - Willpower
Being dead center in the emotional spectrum, the Green Light is the purest of them of all. Perhaps that is why its power comes from something that isn't even an emotion. Emotions can corrupt rational thinking and the pursuit of justice. Willpower gives you the ability to overcome any that may lead you astray. I present Ned Dannenberg to you. This man has been through every challenge News 12 has to offer and he's overcome. Anchors opened a barrage of insults and demands on him when he first arrived. Ned kept his composure, never letting out any sign of annoyance more than a simple "Nyaghhh". Directors have screamed at him to change the names of his reporters in the master rundown. Ned stood his ground and left "Take Michael White" in. Even the weather and rotation of the earth have failed to sway his determination. Ned rides his bike rain or shine, avoiding speeding cars from diminutive drivers and piercing the blackness of night with his self-powered headlamp. Many would have faded away into oblivion from all these obstacles. Through shear Willpower however, Ned Dannenberg sustains.



Blue - Hope
A trickier power source than the Blue Light of Hope cannot be found. By itself, Hope is well and good, but doesn't accomplish anything. Only when the Willpower to do something about your hopes is present can you unlock the true power of the Blue Light. And thus, a Blue Lantern may be the mightiest of all the ring-bearers, but without a Green Lantern to feed off of, is powerless. Neal Folger has the best wishes and dreams in the world. He wants to become the next great sports reporter - not if it's too much work though. Becoming a better photojournalist has been on his Christmas Wish List for decades - unless it interferes with his dinner break. 172 different Georgia football teams are his favorite - but he doesn't suit up and help any of them. Indeed, Neal Folger is a man full of Hope. And maybe when he finds the Willpower he so desperately needs, he'll find his true power.



Indigo - Compassion
Empathy and true caring is an emotion that few possess but many admire. For the lucky few, a healing force is presented to them in the Indigo Ring. With it they are able to repair wounds far beyond the limits of medicine and prayer. In addition to that, the Indigo Tribe is able to harness other Lanterns' powers due to their strong sense of empathy. I can think of no one more worthy of the Ring of Compassion than macho man Jake Young. Here is a man who feels for everything. If your muscles ache, he is always down to give a body massage. If there's a terrified lizard stuck to his windshield while he's flying down the highway, he will pull over to return the guy to his forest. If he's in a hurry to shoot a football game and sees an armadillo attempting to cross the street, he will say "To hell with work!!!" and help the poor thing get to its destination. And perhaps most compassionate of all, if you really want to watch The Notebook or any other Nicholas Sparks movie for the 32nd time instead of the basketball game, then pop that DVD in, homegirl. Jake is ready to cry with you. In fact, all of Jake Young's actions are for your betterment and that is how he harnesses Compassion.



Violet - Love
Lying on the opposite end of the spectrum as Red, is the equally uncontrollable Violet Light of Love. When Love has left a void in someone's heart, the Violet Ring presents itself to fill that emptiness. With it, these Star Sapphires travel the universe capturing those who would destroy Love and encasing them in Violet crystals in the hopes of changing them. Still though, the loss of loves in their lives drives them to peculiar decisions from time to time. Cameron Crapps has been acting strangely ever since leaving her family in Tennessee. There may be a slamming party going on, but she will make the 17-hour trek back home every chance she gets. Eventually she got comfortable in Aiken but left there too, returning every night after work to sleep on her best friend's kitchen floor just so she doesn't have to be alone. Love has definitely driven Cameron to do crazy things. She's still a Star Sapphire though and fights to preserve it. If there is something bothering you, even if you don't even realize something is, she will badger you until you are back to your normal self (her own way of encasing you in crystal). I am sad that Cameron Crapps had to leave her family, but grateful that this action provided her with the Violet Ring.



You should now feel confident in your Green Lantern mythos knowledge. Even if you don't plan on showing off at the next Trivia Night at your favorite bar, hopefully you found this enlightening. My quest here was to entice an appetite for one of the better comic books on the market. Let me know how I did and please leave a comment. Maybe you even want to tell me what kind of Lantern I would be. As always, follow me on Twitter, @SoKoJohn, if you enjoyed your reading and want more like it on a daily basis.

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