10 Insanely Detailed Comic Book Worlds That Blew Fans' Minds
8. Green Lantern - DC
DC Comics/Darwyn Cooke
The Green Lantern mythos is effectively DC's very own version of Star Wars. Storylines are epic, and all tend to lean into some of the more zany elements of the sci-fi genre. Factor in an entire corps-full of brilliant space cops to choose from, and it's little wonder that Green Lantern and its surrounding titles have sustained themselves for as long as they have.
The Green Lantern line of comics spans the entire DC universe, from sectors-2814 (where Earth is) to 3600. In that sense it might be considered cheating to include them in a list of the best comic book 'worlds', but in terms of building a recognisable organisation and style of story, DC's Green Lantern books are second to none.
It's just one of those comics and mythologies so rich that writers and artists are practically able to cover whatever kind of territory they wish within its pages. We've seen procedural Green Lantern comics; big, expansive stories surrounding conflict between different forces, and even interpersonal tales of ring-bearers coming to terms with their newfound responsibility.
At its core, though, is a rich and vibrant premise visually bright as it is narratively sound. It may not always hit the mark, but GL remains one of the Silver Age's greatest ever experiments.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
