Summary

• The Green Lantern Corps' iconic oath has been replaced by a darker and more terrifying version under the new fascist regime.
• The rise of the Shadow Lanterns, a personal police force for the United Planets leader Thaaros, signifies a larger issue within the Corps.
• The new oath of the Green Lantern Corps reflects a shift from being respected to being feared, with enemies now told to "fear" them.

Warning: contains spoilers for "The Shadow Lanterns," appearing in Green Lantern #14!

DC has officially replaced Green Lantern’s iconic oath with something way darker. In recent issues of Green Lantern, the United Planets have engineered a bloodless coup of the Corps, usurping control and shaping it into a fascist police force. In “The Shadow Lanterns,” appearing as a backup feature in Green Lantern #14, the UP tightens their control over the Corps, introducing a new and terrifying oath.

“The Shadow Lanterns” was written by Marc Guggenheim and drawn by Darick Robertson. Shint D’Proba, a new recruit to the Green Lantern Corps. D’Proba is honored to be counted among their number, but cannot shake the feeling something is wrong, particularly with the UP’s leader Thaaros. D’Proba is then inducted into a special subset of Lanterns, called “the Shadow Lanterns.”

These Shadow Lanterns answer only to Thaaros, and their oath reflects this, saying they serve “the Lord Premiere.”

The Shadow Lanterns Are the Symptom Of a Larger, Even Deadlier Problem

Thaaros is Using the Shadow Lanterns As A Personal Police Force

The rise of the Shadow Lanterns and their fascist oath is shocking, and is the latest development in the history of the Green Lantern Corps. The Guardians of the Universe turned over majority control of the Corps to the newly-formed United Planets. However, matters quickly turned dark as the Premiere of the UP, the Durlan Thaaros, began using the Corps as his personal police force. Lanterns who did not toe the line, such as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, were expelled. A mysterious force also begins attacking the other Lantern Corps, consolidating the power of the Emotional Spectrum.

Green Lantern's oath was concevied by science fiction writer Alfred Bester, who would later write the classic The Stars My Destination.

Thaaros and the UP have done considerable, perhaps even irreversible, damage to the Green Lantern Corps. Thaaros is sabotaging the Corps’ legacy. In just a short time, the Corps has gone from respected to feared, and their new oath reflects this. It specifically states enemies of the Corps will “fear” them, a huge sea change from their previous attitudes. The yellow-light of fear is the natural enemy of the green light of willpower, and now the Corps has embraced that which they long opposed. The new oath of the Green Lantern Corps is chilling.

The Shadow Lanterns Oath Is Terrifying

Has the Green Lantern Corps Become a Fascist Organization?

The Green Lantern Corps’ oath is iconic, and fans know it by heart, but now it has been corrupted by a tyrant bent on subjugation through fear and intimidation.

The Green Lantern Corps’ oath is iconic, and fans know it by heart, but now it has been corrupted by a tyrant bent on subjugation through fear and intimidation. The old version of the Corps’ oath was simple, but poetic, and summed up the concept nicely. The oath of the Shadow Lanterns is very similar, but darker. As the Shadow Lanterns charge their rings, they salute in a fashion not unlike the Nazis of World War II. This image is chilling as well, and when taken with the new Green Lantern oath, does not bode well for the galaxy.

Green Lantern #14 is on sale now from DC Comics!