Green Lantern: Where to start?

[Dire Bare]

I'm interested in reading some Green Lantern graphic novels, and would like your advice as to a good place to start. I'm fairly comfortable with the basic mythology of the character, having grown up on the Superfriends, browsing Wikipedia entries, and watching all of the DC Animated shows up to and including the animated film Green Lantern: First Flight.

I'm not really interested in reading how Hal Jordan was "rebirthed" from yellow villiany and spectre-hood into a Green Lantern again . . . . but rather a good intro the the modern character in the comics that will lead me into the Blackest Night series.

It seems that Green Lantern: Secret Origin might be a good spot . . . what do you think?

And picking up the color-coded "preludes" to the Blackest Night seems simple enough . . . yellow, red, violet, orange, then black . . . and I guess eventually white . . .

Are there other volumes I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[Klaus]

Go with Green Lantern: Rebirth. More than just being Hal Jordan's rebirth, the series re-established the entire Green Lantern corps and presents the characters very well for the new reader.

Then go with Sinestro Corps War, Rage of the Red Lanterns, Sins of the Star Sapphire, Green Lantern: Secret Origin and Blackest Night.

 

[Welverin]

While I agree with Klaus in principle, I'd suggest going with Geoff Johns' entire run, which includes:
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: No Fear
Revenge of the Green Lanterns
Wanted: Hal Jordan
The Sinestro Corps War vol 1
The Sinestro Corps War vol 2
Secret Origin
Rage of the Red Lanterns
Agent Orange
Blackest Night

Blackest Night was a big company wide event, so there is a lot of ancillary stuff out that that will include Blackest Night in the title. Geoff wrote the BN series, and the regular Green Lantern series (which he still on). The Blackest Night Green Lantern Corps issues would also be worth reading. Everything else you can easily do without.

 

[Klaus]

Yeah, I was naming the big beats, but tracking down the two Green Lantern series (both GL and GL Corps) is a good idea. Both series are very good.

 

[Dire Bare]

Thanks guys!

 

[Welverin]

The site I copied the trade list from didn't include the Sinestro Corps War books, so I added them into my list above.

I'm not really interested in reading how Hal Jordan was "rebirthed" from yellow villiany and spectre-hood into a Green Lantern again . . . . but rather a good intro the the modern character in the comics that will lead me into the Blackest Night series.

Rebirth is the beginning of the current GL books run, details how Hal came back from the dead and I believe is what Geoff considers the first part of his GL trilogy, The Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night being the other two parts.

It seems that Green Lantern: Secret Origin might be a good spot . . . what do you think?

SO is Hal's origin story with some foreshadowing of what is to come and may be one of the less relevant of the trades in regards to Blackest Night.

And picking up the color-coded "preludes" to the Blackest Night seems simple enough . . . yellow, red, violet, orange, then black . . . and I guess eventually white . . .

Are there other volumes I should consider?

If Blackest Night is all you're interested in then I'd say you could just go with these:
The Sinestro Corps War vol 1
The Sinestro Corps War vol 2
Rage of the Red Lanterns
Agent Orange
And whatever Blackest Night stuff you're interested in (it was a company wide crossover, so there are a lot of minis and tie-in books). Though I will call out the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps Blackest Night issues in addition to the mini-series itself.

I would however as above, recommend Johns' entire run. He is one of the better writers out there right now and everything there is worth reading in it's own right, regardless of it's impact on Blackest Night.

hope that's it for the moment.