Of all the Green Lantern origins I planned to do for GL month, this is the one I’ve looked forward to the most. When this character debuted, he was the center of one of the first big internet fan outbursts. While I would have to agree that the circumstances behind this characters debut could have been handled better, ultimately it was worth it. I had been out of comics for a while, and hearing about this guy got me excited. I mean, a brand new yet familiar character that I could get in on the ground floor with? That’s a no brainer. While his early adventures are a bit clunky, he remains one of my favorite characters. Don’t think that my affection for the guy means I’m going to pull any punches with the comedy though. Without further ado, let’s delve into the Secret Origin of Green Lantern Kyle Rayner!
Kyle’s debut starts with a “SKRASSH” as he’s thrown through a shop window on Rodeo Drive! Yup, we’re joining the nascent Lantern on his first mission, and if his internal monologue is any indication, he has no clue what he’s doing. We find Kyle battling an armored foe called “Ohm”, you know like the electrical unit? Three guesses as to what his power is. GL hasn’t really got a handle on what exactly a Lantern ring can do, but as we’ll see, it’s not like he was given an instruction manual. Still, being rather brave (possibly stupid), Kyle leaps at his foe, and he’s met with a fisttodaface!
Yes folks, he got hit so hard that he flashbacked!
And so, we’re taken back to the previous night where a Nine Inch Nails be-shirted Kyle (he’s so edgy and 90’s!) knocks on the door of his ex-girlfriend Alex. He begs her to let him in, espousing about his boundless charm. She, not being stupid, isn’t buying it. She reminds him (and tells us) that Kyle is a bit of a slacker with no sense of responsibility. For whatever reason (plot), she lets him in, and as she shuts the door, Kyle puts the ring on and tries to surprise Alex…
"I've told you Kyle, I'm just not into the cosplay thing!"
Alex is pretty unimpressed, telling Kyle that this is the dumbest stunt he’s ever pulled. Kyle pleads his case, explaining that yeah, it’s ludicrous and nigh-impossible for him to just end up with a genuine GL ring, but that is indeed the case. To convince her, he recounts his origin, which takes all of one panel, so uncomplicated it is. Being believable is another story, however.
“No Alex, I only has a couple of drinks. Why do you ask?”
So after that quick recap, Kyle goes on to say he doesn’t know what the heck is happening, but he had to tell somebody. Alex pretty much tells Kyle that he’s a dumbass for not making the connection to Green Lantern. Kyle is still playing the idiot, so Alex explains that it’s the same costume and everything, while also establishing her profession as a photojournalist. It seems she got some pictures of Hal Jordan right before he went nuts and killed a bunch of his fellow Lanterns, but it really turned out he was just possessed, and the Lanterns weren’t quite dead, and, that’s really another story. So let’s just put it out of our minds, shall we?
Anyway, Kyle finally puts two and two together. He wonders if he can fly like Hal did, and lo and behold, just by thinking about it he starts to levitate above the couch. He takes off the ring, seeing as he really doesn’t know how to use it. Alex asks what’s he going to do with it. Kyle thinks the answer is obvious: he’s going to be a hero! Alex scoffs at that, because Kyle can’t even get steady work in his day job of Freelance Artist. If nothing else, Kyle is supremely confident. He lays out his master plan to Alex. They’ll move to New York, Kyle will do the hero thing, and she’ll take pictures. It can’t miss! Alex is really uncertain, but eventually she comes to a decision…
Cute as a puppy, that Kyle. Drools about as much, too!
Cut to the next morning, Alex whisks Kyle off the couch (good for her) and tells him to hurry up and get dressed. Apparently, some whackjob is tearing up Rodeo in an armored suit. Managing to avoid police cordons, Alex sets out to take pictures of the fracas. Kyle suggests that he should ring up some heroics, but she tells him to stay put. Well, she actually tells him not to do anything stupid like he usually does. Kyle assures her he’s all about responsibility now. That lasts for say, three seconds or so…
Admit it, if you had the ring, would you just sit back and relax?
Admittedly, when Kyle jumps into battle, he looks sufficiently impressive, but seeing that all he knows how to do is fly, it really quickly becomes apparent that he’s fighting a losing battle. In fact, when he confronts Ohm, Kyle tries to intimidate him instead of making a giant green boxing glove or something. Ohm instantly sees through the false bravado and start beating the bejeezus out of our hero’s emerald derriere. We’ve finally come full circle, and Kyle to his credit, keeps coming back up to the plate, but Ohm easily counters Kyle’s clumsy attempts at fisticuffs. Alex decides that her would-be boyfriend needs some coaching, so she tells him to you know, defend himself instead of getting trounced repeatedly. Kyle does what he can, managing to make his first ring construct, but Ohm is still pretty unimpressed.
"Just ask Vic Mackey!"
Ohm’s electrical assault continues and Kyle manages to eat a few thousand volts. At this point, Kyle has about had it, and gets a bit cocky. Normally, you’d think this would spell doom for the rookie hero, but it works for him, thankfully.
"I mean come on, 15 minutes is probably all I'm going to get anyway!"
This really turns the tide of battle. Having knocked Ohm down, Kyle uses the ring to laser cut the suit open with little effort. While fearlessness and honesty are the main requirements for a Green Lantern, Kyle proves that a quick, creative mind and supreme confidence have their uses as well. When Ohm is out of the suit, he’s laid out with one punch from Kyle’s mighty energy-infused fist. The battle over, Alex is snapping pictures and asks if Kyle is all right. Kyle, still coming off the high of the battle, feels pretty great actually. Before they can say too much more, a crowd gathers to thank their hero. It’s pretty clear that he’s being mistaken for Hal. Kyle lays it on a bit thick for the masses…
"Now if you'll excuse me, there's a kitten in a tree I have to save!"
Alex pulls Kyle away before his head gets any bigger, and later that night, they discuss the day’s events. After a while, the conversation comes to Kyle’s look. Kyle contends he likes the costume, but Alex explains that if they want to do this right, Kyle needs his own identity as a Green Lantern. They don’t want him to continually be confused with Hal, because honestly, who wants that? Kyle thinks about it for a while, using his skills as a graphic designer to come up with something that is quintessentially 90’s, but is still somehow endearing, crab mask and all.
"Like, Hal's never going to come back and you won't be overshadowed due to a sense of nostalgia, I mean, for isntance."
And so, a hero is born! True, it’s not the best start a hero ever had, but considering that the Guardian gave him the ring pretty much threw him into the deep end of the pool, he did pretty well. As his career would go on, he’d unfortunately lose Alex, but that’s a can of worms I wont be opening here. Kyle went on to have a great run as the only Green Lantern, eventually resurrecting the entire Green Lantern Corps and paving the way for Hal Jordan’s return. He gets poo-pooed on more than he should, but in my opinion, he eventually became a better Lantern than Hal. While he hasn’t been as much of a headliner since Hal’s return to prominence, the fact that he’ll be leading his own team in the DC relaunch gives me hope for Kyle’s future.
This story was originally published in Green Lantern Vol. 3 #51. It was reprinted in the Green Lantern: New Dawn trade paperback and is also available digitally.
Ah, but that’s not all! Lantern month isn’t over! I wanted to make sure all of Earth’s GLs were covered, but we still have two more columns to go, and over 100 prominent Lanterns and their respective villains that I could cover! That’s where you come in! Do you have a favorite GL that you’d like to see featured on Secret Origins? Let us know in the comments!