“Yesterday’s” Comic> Guy Gardner: Warrior #0

“All I said is that Supergirl’s movie wasn’t that bad.”

Guy Gardner: Warrior #0

DC Comics (October, 1994)

“Once Upon A Time”

WRITER: Beau Smith

PENCILER: Mitch Byrd

INKER: Dan Davis

COLORIST: Stu Chaifetz

LETTERER: Albert DeGuzman

EDITOR: Eddie Berganza

Okay, I’m not completely clear about what was going on with Guy around this time, so bear with me. I know he went searching for something called “Warrior Waters” to gain superpowers after losing his ring (I don’t know how, and only assuming it was the yellow ring of the time). And how he can transform parts of his body into weapons…somehow. Well, here’s the part Guy missed the first time. When he drank the waters he was met with a device called an Cyber-Reality Inducer, which thrust him into an immediate simulated arena to do battle with other creatures. After defeating them he learned his own origin that wasn’t given until now…that he is descended from aliens. Kind of. Before the Guardians created the Green Lantern Corp there existed a race of protectors from the planet Vuldar. However one threat, the Tormocks, pretty much wiped them out. There were survivors who searched for a genetically compatible species, and eventually came to Earth, who mistook them for gods. They tried to mate with the humans, despite the actions of a jealous high priest. However, the genetic material needed a few hundred generations to incubate, and that turned out to be Guy. Originally freaked out by the revelation, the spirit/AI of the machine wiped that knowledge from his mind…until right now.

What they got right: Admittedly this is a rather far-fetched retcon, but it does do something different with Guy Garnder now that the Green Lanterns are gone without just popping him into their successors at the time, the Darkstars. And as origins go it’s not a bad one.

What they got wrong: But there are a few concerns, like how the spirit/AI/whatever knows what Darkstars are. Or why the Vuldar genetic material had to “incubate” for generations and what that even means. And apparently wanting to protect people and beat up bad guys had nothing to do with being inspired by General Glory but just the incubated genetic material from the Vuldarians. What?

Recommendation: Oh well, silly origins are nothing new in comics, right? It’s not necessarily a bad one and added something to Guy’s character. I’m not sure what the state of that was even before Flashpoint but it’s worth checking into.