Maybe not literally, but it may as well have been. Whilst Hal Jordan is the first of the modern Green Lanterns (and the first to be a member of the intergalactic police force of the same name), he wasnt the first comic book hero to boast the name. That honour goes to Alan Scott, who made his first appearance in 1940s All-American Comics #16. Much like the later Lanterns, Scott wielded a mystical ring that did his bidding but had one weird weakness - in this case it was wood, rather than the colour yellow, which was possible later nicked as the Achilles heel for Doctor Whos sonic screwdriver. He did pretty well for a while, his canine sidekick Streaky even getting his own spin-off book. After the Second World War the demand for superhero comics died down significantly, however, and Alan Scott swiftly went down with his ship. He was effectively killed off then and there, with the Green Lantern book being resurrected in name only by editor Julius Schwartz in 1958, when readers were getting into science fiction again.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
