Warning: contains spoilers for Green Lantern #3!
Sojourner "Jo" Mullein is DC's new Green Lantern, and she is about to learn why teen sidekicks are a good idea. Recent events in the pages of Green Lantern have thrown the Corps into turmoil: the Central Power Battery has been destroyed, leaving many Lanterns either dead or powerless; it falls on Jo to find out who attacked Oa and rebuild the Corps - but she will not be doing it alone, as seen in Green Lantern #3, from Geoffrey Thorne, Tom Raney, Marco Santucci, Michael Atiyeh, and Rob Leigh.
The concept of a teen sidekick is an institution in superhero comics, going back to the introduction of Robin in 1940's Detective Comics #38. Numerous other heroes, such as Captain America, the original Human Torch, Green Arrow and others would in time take on teen sidekicks. At DC, these sidekicks eventually banded together and got their own title as the Teen Titans. Though often regarded as a relic of a simpler time, the idea persists into the modern age of comics, and now Jo Mullein, the last Green Lantern, has just taken on one of her own.
The attack on Oa left the planet in ruins, the Central Power Battery destroyed and the Lantern Corps all but obliterated. Very few on Oa survived, Green Lantern Simon Baz and Teen Lantern Keli Quintela among them. After broadcasting a message of hope to the stranded Lanterns, Jo checks on both Simon and Keli. Simon assures her he will be fine, and Jo finds a sullen Teen Lantern, who blames herself for what happened. Jo attempts to temporarily recruit Keli as one of very few Lanterns with a working ring, but ultimately realizes that what she really needs is to be reassured, with news of Simon's recovery finally lifting her spirits.
The interaction between Jo Mullein and Teen Lantern is brief, but the foundations for a partnership between the two have been laid. Jo was able to get through to Teen Lantern and cheer her up - ironic in light of Jo's admission she is not good with kids. Their brief conversation illustrates why teen sidekicks are a good idea in superhero narratives. First, they can serve as proxies for the reader and ask the questions that need answering. Teen sidekicks can also embody the developing legacy of their mentors - Nightwing, Donna Troy, Arsenal, and the rest of the Teen Titans are poof of this, and Teen Lantern is in a position to carry on not only Jo's legacy when the time comes, but that of the whole Green Lantern Corps. With Green Lantern now exploring how the Corps can possibly survive into the future, Keli Quintela's bravery and resolve help offer a note of optimism that Oa will one day return to its former glory.
Keli also serves to help ground the story in personal relationships. When Jo and Simon meet, they quickly begin planning how to rebuild the Corps and admiring Simon's new cyborg upgrade, but Keli is simply glad to know her friend is alive. Batman's allies have stated many times that the first Robin kept him from descending into true darkness, and this is a big part of what makes teen sidekicks so valuable. With unseen enemies plotting against Oa and countless Green Lanterns to rescue, it would be easy for Green Lantern to become a grim war story, but in simultaneously needing Teen Lantern's fire power and valuing her wellbeing, Green Lantern Jo Mullein - like so many heroes before her - now has a reason to focus not just on who she's fighting, but who she's fighting for.
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