Lantern Corps Recruitment

[Gizmo]

For a site about superheroes, there's a disturbing lack of comic book geekery going on here, so I pose this question: if your character(s) was a member of one of the Blackest Night Lantern Corps, which would it be?

Quick recap for the comic disinclined: The Green Lantern Corps are basically the space cops of the DC universe, with members from each sector. They use rings which let them create constructs made of green light, powered by the wearer's own willpower. When a Lantern dies, their ring automatically seeks out a replacement, finding someone with the "ability to overcome great fear".

Ages ago, one of the Corps' greatest members, Sinestro, went rogue and had a yellow power ring created; more recently he formed his own "Sinestro Corps", with yellow rings powered by fear rather than will. More recently still, Corps representing each colour of the spectrum appeared, each powered by a different emotion. Not surprisingly, they proceeded to have brutal but extremely colourful space battles.

Despite their differences, the Corps were forced to team up when the Black Lanterns showed up: nigh-invincible undead versions of every character who's died over the years, even those who have been resurrected. Things have gotten so bad that the Corps have even deputized existing heroes and villains into Lanterns.

The Corps are:

Red Lantern Corps - Rage - "You have great anger in your heart."
Agent Orange - Avarice - "You want it all."
Sinestro Corps - Fear - "You have the ability to instill great fear."
Green Lantern Corps - Will - "You have the ability to overcome great fear."
Blue Lantern Corps - Hope - "You have the ability to instill great hope."
Indigo Tribe - Compassion - "You have the ability to feel great compassion."
Star Sapphires - Love - "You have great love in your heart."

So... where do your characters fall on the spectrum?

For example, I think Jack would probably be a Green Lantern, given his tremendous stubbornness. Continuing to fight no matter how bad things get is one of his core personality traits. His Charisma and Inspire make a pretty good case for his being a Blue Lantern, too, though. He definitely knows how to rally the troops. He could really go either way.

For extra credit, how would they combine their ring's power with their existing abilities? I can see Jack surrounding himself with like a dozen swords, all fighting independently and blocking attacks from all directions.

[Geez3r]

Interesting.

Malice is pretty much a definitive Red Lantern. Nearly everything he does is driven by his desire to get revenge and destroy anything he deems to be wrong. However, I think you can make an argument for him being Sinestro Corps; both because of the fear he has (the fear that he is inferior to the supers and the fear of losing those close to him) and the fear he instills in others. Malice would use the ring to surround himself in some giant, bloody mechnical beast. He'd use the ring to add a few dozen more barrels to his guns, or use their corrosive blood as ammunition, so he'd burn through his targets rather than simply blast them.

Atlas is probably Indigo. I've shown him to be understanding and compassionate (hopefully). And he's been described as a gentle giant before, so hopefully it fits. He'd probably use his new found powers mostly just to fly, as I've mentioned that Atlas wishes he could fly before. He'd use his ring to help other more than he would himself. Setting up barriers to protect them and such.

I can't think of anything for Tempest or Jester. The former has no personality, and for the latter there's no crazy ring.

[Dr Archeville]

Capital idea, Gizmo!

Belphegor would be all over an Orange ring (though Red would follow close behind). And he'd use it the same way Larfleeze does: to eat people, and then recreate them as slaves to/extensions of his will.

Dead Head would not get a Black Ring; those guy are all jerks. He'd be torn between Yellow and Indigo; he'd use either to create images of the dead.

Doktor Archeville...

Orange! MINE! No, Red, and unleash a fury the likes of which this world has not seen! Oh, but Yellow... the terror I could cause!

Blue, for the hope Science! can bring to mankind! No, wait -- Indigo, for the compassion I-

Bleeding heart fool!

At least I'd still have one; the Red ring'd destroy yours!

... is hard to pin down.

[alderwitch]

Phantom would be green, that's pretty easy to call. She's all about overcoming fear and willpower. Her power ring would probably be used to enhance her mystical abilities. Lots of portals and arcane summoning I would think.

As for Psyche, she'd be Indigo Tribe. She's one of the most compassionate characters I've ever created. Comes with that obscenely high empathy :D

[Moira Morley]

I see Moira with all seven rings. I see Seraph with compassion and hope and possibly will and love.

[angrydurf]

I see Moira with all seven rings.

So orange then? :D

[Gizmo]

Malice is pretty much a definitive Red Lantern. ... Malice would use the ring to surround himself in some giant, bloody mechnical beast ... or use their corrosive blood as ammunition, so he'd burn through his targets rather than simply blast them.

Suitably violent and gross! With a name like 'Malice' he'd fit right in with the Red Lantern Corps!

Atlas is probably Indigo. ... He'd probably use his new found powers mostly just to fly, as I've mentioned that Atlas wishes he could fly before.

Atlas decked out in the Indigo Tribe's barbarian look would be awesome. The idea of a giant guy like that zooming through the air, enjoying the sensation of flight is also pretty terrific.

I can't think of anything for Tempest or Jester. The former has no personality, and for the latter there's no crazy ring.

It's a bit of a stretch, but Tempest's mission is one of understanding and empathy, right? You could make an argument for Indigo Tribe, I think. As for Jester, a guy who's always trying to make people laugh might make a good, if unorthodox, Blue Lantern.

Capital idea, Gizmo!

Ha, well, I try!

Belphegor would be all over an Orange ring (though Red would follow close behind). And he'd use it the same way Larfleeze does: to eat people, and then recreate them as slaves to/extensions of his will.

Talk about a perfect fit!

Dead Head would not get a Black Ring; those guy are all jerks. He'd be torn between Yellow and Indigo; he'd use either to create images of the dead.

I wonder how the Black Rings would react to Dead Head. They've created some pretty odd situations with guys like Deadman and Solomon Grundy.

Doktor Archeville... is hard to pin down.

Speaking of Black Rings, can you imagine what they'd see if they used their 'emotion vision' thing on the good Doktor? Pretty confusing, I'd guess.

So orange then?

Zing! Yeah, having multiple rings at once has so far been pretty rare and always temporary in the comics. I'm not as familiar with Divine as I could be, but it strikes me that the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares could made a pretty good case for a Violet and Red Ring combo. As for Seraph, she's "a sympathetic soul who would love to help everyone", right? Textbook Indigo Tribe.

How about you, 'durf? I assume the Black Rings would be all over Ace, but if he was freed the way Wonder Woman was, where would he fall?

[angrydurf]

Ace would definitely be Blue Lantern Corps (assuming he could break free/be broken free from the Black Lanterns). His thing at this point really is about hope. Not sure how he would use the rings but, Being not so hot with the comics knowledge leaves me at a disadvantage in this, but from the wiki article he would fall more into his support role with healing and boosting added to his inspiring and leadership style abilities and possibly use it for some illusory trickery.

Phalanx would be Green as certainly thus far his arc has been about overcoming his fears. As for how he'd use it I'm less certain. He'd probably try and bind and imprison his enemies with it rather than having to beat them senseless, and would use it to protect civilians where he could.

[Dariusprime]

I second the capital idea! I love these sorts of topics.

Fulcrum is hard for me to pin down. I'm still working out her characterization, but so far I see compassion/protectiveness (Indigo), stubbornness (Green), inspiration (Blue) and an undercurrent of violence/nihilism (Red/Orange). To be honest, she probably wouldn't accept the ring regardless except under the most extreme of circumstances. Donning the ring would feel like an unnatural limitation on her freedoms and ability, particularly in regards to how she operates and defends.

If she became more like Centurion, then Blue or Green would be appropriate. If she went off the Terminus deep end, Red or an annihilating form of Orange could work too. As for powers, I have no idea yet.

What do you think? Which Corps would fit her? :twisted:

[Gizmo]

What do you think? Which Corps would fit her? :twisted:

Well, Mona's whole motivation revolves around her hero worship of the Centurion, right? That means she understands about powerful inspiration, and the difference one person's example can make in the life of another. That's a pretty good step towards being a Blue Lantern. Then again, her fixation on the big guy might justify a Violet Ring, too. The Star Sapphires tend to be a little on the obsessive side.

I get the impression that Fulcrum spends so much of her energy trying to live up to the Centurion's example that she hasn't really figured out who she is yet. All of the Lanterns are very forceful personalities in their own way, and I think Mona's still developing toward that.

[Dr Archeville]

I wonder how the Black Rings would react to Dead Head. They've created some pretty odd situations with guys like Deadman and Solomon Grundy.

I saw what happened with Deadman (Boston Brand's body was animated, but the Deadman spirit is still active), but hadn't heard what happened with Grundy (though I had seen the miniseries that was saying "Grundy must not get one of these!"). What happened?

The reaction of a Black Lantern ring on Dead Head would be odd, I'd think, since it appears the Black Rings don't really reanimate the dead, they just reanimate the body, and create a mind/personality for it based on trace memories it reads off the body; the mind/spirit isn't really there, it's still... wherever it went. It might eject Dead Head's spirit from his body (and make him a Deadman-like ghost), or he might appear to develop a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

And now, as a tangent, an Oath I made for wearer's of a different type of Black Ring:

In foulest day, in sweetest night,

beware the serpents coiled so tight.

Let those who try to stop our might,

burn like his power... The Great Set's might!

[Gizmo]

I saw what happened with Deadman (Boston Brand's body was animated, but the Deadman spirit is still active), but hadn't heard what happened with Grundy (though I had seen the miniseries that was saying "Grundy must not get one of these!"). What happened?

Man, who knows what's ever going on with Grundy? The gist of it as I understand is that Grundy got Black Lantern-ed, but ol' Cyrus Gold was still stuck in not-so-great beyond. Then Bizarro threw Grundy into the sun. Seriously.

[Dariusprime]

I get the impression that Fulcrum spends so much of her energy trying to live up to the Centurion's example that she hasn't really figured out who she is yet. All of the Lanterns are very forceful personalities in their own way, and I think Mona's still developing toward that.

That's a good way of putting it, Gizmo. She is really struggling to define herself. Heck, took her over three years to work up the nerve to wear a Centurion-style costume. One reason she uses the name 'Fulcrum', in a balancing sort of sense. Of course she has another reason to be a bit fixated on Centurion, but that really hasn't come into play much yet. If another Bloody Valentine/Friday vignette comes along, I'd like to explore the issue of her one great fear of becoming like Omega.

[Avenger Assembled]

Avenger: "Jack Faretti of Earth: RISE." And then Yellow.

Edge: Luckily, Edge is _right there_ when the Blue ring arrives.

Freedom Angel: "Sorry, I already have a symbol."

[Gizmo]

Avenger: "Jack Faretti of Earth: RISE." And then Yellow.

Ha, I'd been thinking Sinestro Corps for Avenger, but you're right, he's pretty dead, isn't he? I wonder if vampirism counts as being 'alive' enough to get the same treatment as previously resurrected heroes, or if he'd have to deal with undead wackiness.

Alright, so there's seven Corps, not counting the Black Lanterns, and the Interceptor's initial line-up, though it didn't last very long, had seven members. As soon as I realized that I was seized by the same compulsion that forces people to debate which of their friends would be Chandler and Ross. Some of these are a bit forced to accommodate the full spectrum, but it's worth it to imagine the team with colour coded, Lantern-ified costumes.

• Rage - All-Star - Marcus isn't angry by default, but he does let his temper get away from him.
  Avarice - Blink - The ex-thief gets stuck with the Orange Ring, naturally.
  Fear - Razorwing - You don't want to meet this kid in a dark alley, but you probably will anyway.
  Will - Colt - From hopping dimensions to fighting demons, I don't think I've ever seen him bat an eye.
  Hope - Jack of all Blades - Let's face it, Erik's the team Inspire monkey.
  Compassion - Velocity - No tragic past here; Megan just wants to help people.
  Love - Grimalkin - She's the team den mother and the most open about her emotions.

I guess VINCE would be a Guardian, then?

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk needs a yellow ring, obviously. Modern Age Batgod got offered one canonically

Geckoman, well... I don't know how to pin him down. Rayner-esque Green Lantern? "Weee, samurai armour and energy katana!"

[Dariusprime]

I came across this think tank post about converting the Corps into Freedom City-specific factions. I'm a bit skeptical of some of the mechanics, but he does have some interesting ideas.

[Gizmo]

There's a bit of a meme over on deviantArt where artists draw themselves as members of one of the Corps. You can see a much of them here. I'm not much of a drawer, but I have been getting pretty good at making custom action figures, so I took a slightly different approach.

[N/A]

Great thread, Giz.

...I was seized by the same compulsion that forces people to debate which of their friends would be Chandler and Ross.

For the sake of my own sanity, I'm going to pretend those people don't exist outside of your twisted imagination.

The Scarab would get a Green ring. Over the course of her adventures up to this point, she's dispensed fear, compassion, and hope in more or less equal amounts. The one constant has been her unbreakable will. In game terms, she has 1/2 immunity to fear and the highest Will save and Concentrate skill on the board, and she hasn't failed a Will save yet.

But I don't know how she'd actually use it. Her own powers can pretty much already do everything a GL ring tends to get used for. I guess it would make her space-worthy.

I don't really think Zephyr would be considered worthy of any of the rings. She's an undisciplined, self-indulgent brat with a short attention span who coasts by on natural talent and runs away from her emotions. Her (mostly) repressed anger over the destruction of her old life and her current circumstances as an extraneous part of the world might earn her a Red ring. She's Fearless, but she doesn't have the Will to command a Green ring. She doesn't care enough about what other people think for a Blue or Yellow ring, and she's too inconsiderate for an Indigo ring or a Star Sapphire.

[Ecalsneerg]

Great thread, Giz.

For the sake of my own sanity, I'm going to pretend those people don't exist outside of your twisted imagination.

Ah, typical Chandler.

But I don't know how she'd actually use it. Her own powers can pretty much already do everything a GL ring tends to get used for. I guess it would make her space-worthy.

The real advantage is a second array. Sure, she can already do Telekinesis and the like. This way she can throw cars with one array while Creating Objects with the other.

[Gizmo]

Great thread, Giz.

For the sake of my own sanity, I'm going to pretend those people don't exist outside of your twisted imagination.

The first comic on this page seems relevant. Read them all anyway; it's Kate Beaton! You cannot loose.

It's a little premature, since I can't play him until March, but Midnight II would pretty clearly get a yellow ring, what with his 'superstitious and cowardly lot' routine, even though he's a pretty mellow kid out of costume. He'd probably use it to make copies of himself appear out of the shadows, like he was everywhere at once. Spooky!

Opening it up to Jack of all Blade's supporting cast, his sister Ellie would be part of the Indigo Tribe. She's preparing to enter a pre-med program after high school to become a paramedic, and I'm planning on her eventually developing healing powers and becoming Jack's sidekick: Jill O'Cure. ...like 'kill or cure'? Look, the family has a warped sense of humour.

If you interpret the 'you want it all' requirement for an orange ring as 'you want to win it all', it fits Jaci o' Cups. I can see her using it's power to maintain her giant form and maybe make some big stompy boots out of ring energy. She's passionate enough to qualify for the crazier side of the Star Sapphires, too, I suppose. Coinpurse Jack definitely goes the avarice route; 'greed' is one of his complications! Getting all that direct power, instead of having to just manipulate chance, would probably go to his head and send him on a rampage. He's not creative enough to do much more than just blast away with the ring.

[N/A]

I can understand trying to peg your friends as different Clans from Vampire, or D&D races, or Lanterns. But characters from insipid, uninspired sitcoms like Friends or S&TC? Ugh.

I'd seen Hark, A Vagrant! before, but forgot about it. Thanks for the link. When it comes to webcomics, I'm always on the lookout for new blood. My daily trawl averages something like 30-50 of them at any given point in time.

[Dr Archeville]

Saw two good ones today.

From the webcomic Evil Inc

"In righteous day, or boogie night,

No jive or funk escapes my sight!

Let all who groove on evil's might

Beware my mo-jo: DY-NO-MITE!"

And from Scans Daily

(pic is HUGE)

"Daleks are the race supreme!

Your race will die with anguished screams!

Your end is near, accept your fate,

Red Lantern Corps: EXTERMINATE!"

[Gizmo]

Heh, I think I saw a pic somewhere of the TARDIS itself as a Blue Lantern.

I enjoyed the other picture from that Scans Daily post, which summed up Sinestro's philosophy regarding his spoilerific new costume change.

As far as interesting oaths go, I've always been partial to the mantra of one Jack T. Chance:

• You who are wicked, evil and mean
  I'm the nastiest creep you've ever seen!
  Come one, come all, put up a fight
  I'll pound your butts with Green Lantern's light!
  Yowza.

[N/A]

Did Sinestro just make the transition from Smug Snake to Magnificent Bastard?