Green Lantern: Mosaic
Encyclopedia
Green Lantern: Mosaic was an American comic book
series published by DC Comics
starring the fictional character
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
. The series had its origin in a story arc of the same name in Green Lantern
(Volume 3) #14-17, and was set up in earlier issues since that series' launch in 1990
.
The ongoing series began in June of 1992
and ended in November of 1993
, lasting 18 issues. It was written by Gerard Jones
and primarily drawn by Cully Hamner
.
Green Lantern Hal Jordan
, investigating the disappearance of Evergreen City on Earth, discovers that Appa Ali Apsa
, the lone remaining Guardian
left behind after his brothers left our dimension, has been driven insane by loneliness. For companionship, Apsa has been uprooting cities from all the worlds he has visited and transporting them to the planet Oa
, creating a patchwork known as the Mosaic World.
John Stewart, captured by Apsa, summons Jordan through their power ring
s and, together with Guy Gardner
and the newly-returned Guardians, defeat Apsa.
Believing that Apsa's experiment should be allowed to progress to its conclusion, the Guardians elected to maintain his strange mosaic of communities rather than return the inhabitants to their homeworlds. Accordingly, the Guardians assigned Stewart to act as the Green Lantern of the Mosaic world. Stewart was charged with maintaining the peace among the different communities as well as attempting to construct a cohesive society from the disparate races.
Initially distrustful of each other, the various communities sometimes came to battle, even leading to fatalities. Some of the cities had life-forms hostile to each other or to all other life. Stewart also dealt with less fatal problems, such as overpopulation and the fact one of the cities was inhabited by only two people. Assisting Stewart in his efforts are some of the citizens of Evergreen City, including several youngsters whose parents are suffering severe mental problems due to their unique situation. John gives these children less-powerful rings and they assist in future conflicts. John also tries to build roads between the cities. This, along with his other efforts, are hampered by visions of 'the red', which seem to be manifestations of Sinestro. During one of these vision flares, the Green Lantern known as Ch'p
is struck and killed by a yellow truck on one of the connecting roads.
Through John's efforts, the cities of Mosaic World were eventually forged into a cohesive society. In return for his success, the Guardians granted Stewart the honor of becoming the first mortal Guardian.
The Mosaic World was evacuated by a multi-species coalition. The survivors of the experiments were carried back to their homeworld.
Hal Jordan
, possessed by the Parallax
entity, destroyed the Central Power Battery and slew all but one of the Guardians of the Universe
. Its abandoned remains were finally destroyed when Oa
was obliterated by Kyle Rayner
during a battle with Jordan.
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
series published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
starring the fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
John Stewart (comics)
John Stewart is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2, #87 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Publication history:...
. The series had its origin in a story arc of the same name in Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
(Volume 3) #14-17, and was set up in earlier issues since that series' launch in 1990
1990 in comics
-Year overall:Days of Future Present, the sequel to Days of Future Past, appeared in the annuals of Fantastic Four, New Mutants, X-Factor and X-Men.-January:* Dinosaurs for Hire is cancelled by Eternity Comics with issue #9....
.
The ongoing series began in June of 1992
1992 in comics
-Year overall:* Image Comics explodes onto the scene, releasing eight ongoing and limited series, starting with Youngblood in April; followed by Spawn in May; Savage Dragon in July; and Brigade, Shadowhawk, and WildC.A.T.S. in August....
and ended in November of 1993
1993 in comics
-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
, lasting 18 issues. It was written by Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and primarily drawn by Cully Hamner
Cully Hamner
Cully Hamner is an American comic book artist and writer.-Career:Since his 1992 debut on Green Lantern: Mosaic, Hamner has worked for nearly every major American comic book publisher, and is chiefly known for such titles as the aforementioned Green Lantern: Mosaic, Blue Beetle, and Red...
.
Plot synopsis
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
, investigating the disappearance of Evergreen City on Earth, discovers that Appa Ali Apsa
Appa Ali Apsa
Appa Ali Apsa is a fictional character from DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern v2, #76 and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
, the lone remaining Guardian
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
left behind after his brothers left our dimension, has been driven insane by loneliness. For companionship, Apsa has been uprooting cities from all the worlds he has visited and transporting them to the planet Oa
Oa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...
, creating a patchwork known as the Mosaic World.
John Stewart, captured by Apsa, summons Jordan through their power ring
Power ring (weapon)
A power ring is a fictional object featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. It first appeared in All-American Comics #16 .-Origin:...
s and, together with Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...
and the newly-returned Guardians, defeat Apsa.
Believing that Apsa's experiment should be allowed to progress to its conclusion, the Guardians elected to maintain his strange mosaic of communities rather than return the inhabitants to their homeworlds. Accordingly, the Guardians assigned Stewart to act as the Green Lantern of the Mosaic world. Stewart was charged with maintaining the peace among the different communities as well as attempting to construct a cohesive society from the disparate races.
Initially distrustful of each other, the various communities sometimes came to battle, even leading to fatalities. Some of the cities had life-forms hostile to each other or to all other life. Stewart also dealt with less fatal problems, such as overpopulation and the fact one of the cities was inhabited by only two people. Assisting Stewart in his efforts are some of the citizens of Evergreen City, including several youngsters whose parents are suffering severe mental problems due to their unique situation. John gives these children less-powerful rings and they assist in future conflicts. John also tries to build roads between the cities. This, along with his other efforts, are hampered by visions of 'the red', which seem to be manifestations of Sinestro. During one of these vision flares, the Green Lantern known as Ch'p
Ch'p
Ch'p is a fictional character, a member of the Green Lantern Corps in the . Like all H'lvenites, he resembled a somewhat anthropomorphic combination between a squirrel and a chipmunk. He was created by Paul Kupperberg and Don Newton....
is struck and killed by a yellow truck on one of the connecting roads.
Through John's efforts, the cities of Mosaic World were eventually forged into a cohesive society. In return for his success, the Guardians granted Stewart the honor of becoming the first mortal Guardian.
The Mosaic World was evacuated by a multi-species coalition. The survivors of the experiments were carried back to their homeworld.
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
, possessed by the Parallax
Parallax (comics)
Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...
entity, destroyed the Central Power Battery and slew all but one of the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
. Its abandoned remains were finally destroyed when Oa
Oa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...
was obliterated by Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
during a battle with Jordan.
Cancellation
In an unusual move, and although sales of the book were very strong, Green Lantern: Mosaic was cancelled early into its run. In an interview, Cully Hamner revealed the reasons behind the cancellation:(A)s I was told at the time, it didn’t fit with DC editorial vision (whatever that means). Sales didn’t matter, fan support didn’t matter; the first issue sold about 210,000 copies and my last issue sold about 70,000, so there was plenty of support for the book. It was marked for cancellation when issue #5 came out, and they allowed Gerry Jones a year to wrap it up, but there was no doubt that it was being cancelled because somebody upstairs just didn’t care for it. So, I had a feeling after a while of creatively being against a brick wall, and got out before the end. You pays your money, you takes your chances. That’s the biz.