Warning: SPOILERS for The Human Target #12The DC Universe is full of numerous Green Lanterns, each possessing their own skills and flaws, but after a recent string of bad luck, one Lantern is making a case for him being the weakest of the bunch.

Tom King and Greg Smallwood's The Human Target #12 shows the aftermath of an assassination attempt on Lex Luthor that caught professional bullet-taker Christopher Chance, also known as the Human Target, in its crossfire. With the mystery solved and Chance out of the picture, Ice, a member of the Justice League International and a new romantic partner of the late Human Target's, endeavors to spread Christopher's ashes in the ocean. Ice is then met by Green Lantern Guy Gardner, another member of the JLI and a former flame of hers who has followed her out into the ocean. When Guy Gardner begins hitting on Ice, she hits him over the head with the bottle containing Chance's ashes, knocking the Green Lantern out cold.

Guy Gardner Is the Most Punchable Green Lantern

Guy's knockout references a famous scene from Justice League #5 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire. The moment involves Guy fighting with Batman once again for leadership of the League, questioning the Dark Knight's authority. As the argument continues, Guy challenges Batman to a fight, removing his ring before attempting to attack the Caped Crusader. Batman quickly punches Green Lantern in the face, knocking Guy out before he can even land a hit. Blue Beetle then erupts into laughter, chanting, "One punch!" as his teammate lays unconscious on the floor.

These incidents are far from the only times Guy Gardner has been punched in the face by a fellow hero; in fact, Ice's punch isn't even the only time it happens in The Human Target. In The Human Target #3, Guy is knocked out by one punch when Christopher tricks Gardner into giving up his Lantern ring to a fake Hal Jordan. When Guy comes to get revenge in The Human Target #6, Ice freezes him solid, allowing Chance to shatter the JLI member's head in another single punch. This is later revealed to be a fake-out, with Chance and Gardner agreeing to a no-powers rematch in The Human Target #10. The Human Target handily beats Guy Gardner to the ground, causing Guy to cheat and use his Lantern ring. Chance manages to trick Guy and still win the fight, despite the extreme power differential between himself and the space officer.

Is Guy Gardner the Justice League's Weakest Green Lantern?

While there are surely Green Lanterns weaker than Guy among the larger Corps, the "one punch" meme provides damning evidence that Gardner may be the weakest of the Justice League's Lanterns. Ever since that moment in Justice League #5, Guy has been decked by several heroes with similar results. Even somebody like Christopher Chance, a nobody relative to the larger-than-life threats Gardner usually faces, can knock the Lantern out with a single hit. It's a repeated portrayal of next to no pain tolerance, with a single stray hit being the only thing that divides a conscious and unconscious Green Lantern.

These moments are usually played as tongue-in-cheek references to the hit, as is especially the case in The Human Target's overly aggravating portrayal of the character. Still, by repeatedly depicting Guy Gardner as someone who can't stand his own in a hand-to-hand brawl, it's hard to argue any Green Lantern is weaker than the Justice League's resident human punching bag.

The Human Target #12 is available from DC Comics now.