Green Lantern will soon DC's highly successful Absolute Universe, but John Stewart won't be the one wielding the ring. Instead, Jo Mullein has taken center stage in this revamped continuity as the main character of Green Lantern's comic. Some readers may be surprised by this selection, so the writer of this new Green Lantern series has explained his decision to spotlight Sojourner instead of John Stewart.

In an interview with The Comics Pals, Absolute Green Lantern writer Al Ewing discusses why he'll be focusing on Sojourner as opposed to a more widely known hero like John Stewart. He reveals that he had considered John Stewart for the primary role, only to change his mind in the end.

Originally, I was thinking John Stewart would be the lead. My conception of John in this book... he's pushing 40. He's an older guy, and I thought, 'Do I really want to write a book about an old man because I am an old man and I am not that interesting' so I had to look through the Green Lanterns.

In the end, John Stewart's age caused him to veer away from that concept and seek out a Green Lantern who could appeal to more readers and be more "interesting" from a narrative perspective. Thus, Sojourner "Jo" Mullein became DC's top pick to bring willpower to the Absolute Universe.

Absolute Green Lantern Will Focus on Sojourner Mullein, Not John Stewart

Sojourner's Youth Makes Her the Perfect Lantern for DC's Absolute Universe

Green Lantern and former cop. Though she's relatively new to the Corps, Jo's willpower grants her the might of a true Green Lantern.

Jo's inexperience and lack of confidence compared to longtime Green Lanterns like John Stewart is not to her detriment. Instead, that youth is what drove Al Ewing to select her as the protagonist in his and Jahnoy Lindsay's Absolute Green Lantern.

Sojourner really hopped out at me because I had read Far Sector recently and it's fantastic. I thought this is a really interesting character, and I would like to give them a bit of a different life. This is a person who's going to have the Green Power and will be the main character of the book... It just seemed right.

Ewing believes that John Stewart would be too old for readers to relate to, so from his perspective, Sojourner is a more refreshing take on Green Lantern. Furthermore, as a newer hero who hasn't been adapted as frequently as John, she comes with the added bonus of being versatile and therefore an ideal pick to re-imagine for the Absolute Universe.

John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and More Will Also DC's Absolute Universe

Fan-Favorite Green Lanterns Are Confirmed to Appear Alongside Sojourner

Although John Stewart won't be the star of Absolute Green Lantern, Ewing affirms that he - and a few other familiar faces - will still be a key player as the plot unfolds.

People love to see Hal so he's also a big part of it. John is a big part of it still so they all have their roles to play. Guy Gardner will be there.

Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner will all be ing the Absolute Universe, and Ewing also teases the potential inclusion of other Green Lanterns in the future. He mentions Alan Scott in particular as a character he hopes to incorporate, signaling that more Lanterns may be folded into the narrative over time. John Stewart may not be the focus in this new continuity, but he and his peers remain integral to Green Lantern's story.

Absolute Green Lantern #1 will be available on April 2nd, 2025 from DC Comics!

Source: The Comics Pals