The character's first incarnation, Alan Scott, appeared in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940), and was later spun off into the first volume of Green Lantern in 1941.

When sales began slipping in the early 1990s, DC Comics instituted a controversial editorial mandate that turned Jordan into the supervillain Parallax and created a new protagonist named Kyle Rayner.

This third volume ended publication in 2004, when the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth brought Hal Jordan back as a heroic character and made him the protagonist once again.

[2] The series featured Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern character, created by writer/artist Martin Nodell and writer Bill Finger.

[6] A canine sidekick named Streak was introduced in #30 (February–March 1948) and the dog proved so popular that he became the featured character on several covers of the series starting with #34.

[8] Although several subsequent Green Lantern revival projects have started over the years, this remains the only series to date to spotlight the Alan Scott character.

The Silver Age Green Lantern was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Showcase #22 (October 1959)[9] at the behest of editor Julius Schwartz.

"[18] The duo embarked on a quest to find America, witnessing the problems of corruption, racism, pollution, and overpopulation confronting the nation.

O'Neil took on then-current events, such as the Manson Family cult murders, in issue #78 where Black Canary falls briefly under the spell of a false prophet who advocates violence.

[20][21] In his zeal to save America, Oliver Queen had failed in his personal responsibility to Speedy — who would overcome his addiction with the help of Black Canary, Green Arrow's then-love interest.

Volume 3 began in 1990 and featured Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps in stories by Gerard Jones and Pat Broderick.

[33] By the mid-1990s, sales on the book began to fall and an editorial mandate was handed down by DC Comics to drastically change the status quo to revitalize the title and characters.

After this, Kyle Rayner, a young art student, was introduced as the new protagonist and the "last" Green Lantern, since the Corps no longer existed.

Volume 3 culminated in a revival of the Guardians of the Universe, the introduction of Ion, and Kyle taking a journey into space that led directly into the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth.

[39][40][41] The returning characters also include Carol Ferris, Tom Kalmaku, and Hal's younger brother James Jordan with his sister-in-law Susan and their children, Howard and Jane.

In his new title, he faces revamped versions of his Silver Age foes such as Hector Hammond, the Shark, and Black Hand.

4, #10, the series has skipped ahead one year, bringing drastic changes to Hal Jordan's life, as with every other hero in the DC Universe.

In this new origin, Hal Jordan, is working as an assistant mechanic under Tom Kalmaku himself, barred from flying due to his insubordination while in the USAF and his employers lingering guilt about his father's death in the line of duty, when Abin Sur, fighting Atrocitus of the Five Inversion, crashes near Coast City.

[49][50][51] In the Agent Orange story arc, Hal Jordan is briefly in command of Larfleeze's power battery after he steals it from him in a battle.

[57] After a new continuity was created in the wake of the Flashpoint limited series,[58] the first issue of the new volume of Green Lantern was released on September 14, 2011.

In order to assist him in retaking the planet, Sinestro travels to Earth and creates a ring for Hal Jordan, his greatest enemy.

Green Lantern volume 6 was part of the Infinite Frontier relaunch with the original creative team being Geoffrey Thorne with art by Dexter Soy.