Green Lantern is probably one of the strongest of the superheroes in the DC Universe. With just the power of his imagination and the use of his power ring, he can create whatever he needs to fight for justice. The Green Lantern Corps is an inter-galactic police force that has been set up to create order out of chaos and protect the innocents.

This is the story of how Hal Jordan, the first of the human Green Lanterns gained his ring and started his career in the Green Lantern Corps. Those familiar with the tale will recognize that he received the ring from his predecessor, Abin Sur, who policed the sector of space in which Earth is located. The story is expanded to describe the mission on which Abin Sur was working when his ship crashed on Earth. He was carrying an evil agent of Chaos, and it is this accident that sets in motion events that led to the Blackest Night storyline that was such a big hit recently.

Readers also get a chance to see Hal work with Sinestro, who was once the best of the Green Lanterns before being forced out of the corps because of his own power-hungry obsessions. Sinestro provided some guidance as a mentor and teacher during the early period in which Hal was getting a better handle on how to use his ring.

This volume nicely introduces Hal and the mythos and characters that surround him. I can't help but wonder how much of this presentation might be included in the up-coming Green Lantern film that is expected to be released soon.

It was really interesting to see some of the background information for Hal Jordan. While I knew the details of his gaining of the ring, I have to admit that I knew little about the human cast of characters that surround him. The stories I have read before always seemed to focus on his time with the Justice League or with the Green Lantern Corps with their focus on the superhuman characters.

This was a really enjoyable exploration of his background.