Green Lantern #9 Preview Reunites Hal Jordan With an Old Friend

Matt Morrison
·2 min read
Hal Jordan Green Lantern 9 Cover by Juanjo López
(Image Source: DC / Juanjo López)
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Ever since his resignation from the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan’s friends have been few and far between. With the Corps members from Earth scattered and the Justice League dissolved, Hal has largely been operating on his own. However, the preview of Green Lantern #9 by Jeremy Adams and Xermanico reunites Hal with one of his oldest and best friends.

Earlier issues of Green Lantern found Hal Jordan investigating irregularities in the emotional spectrum that empowers all Lanterns. His quest led him to the psychic Madame Xanadu, who guided Hal to a cave in Galicia. This, in turn, leads Hal to an unexpected encounter with his former sidekick, Tom Kalmaku.

The cover and first five pages of Green Lantern #9 can be viewed below.

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(Image Source: DC / Xermanico)

Green Lantern’s Tom Kalmaku Explained

First appearing in 1960’s Green Lantern #2, Tom Kalmaku has been around almost as long as Hal Jordan. Employed as a mechanic at Ferris Air, Kalmaku worked on the jets that Jordan flew as a test pilot. He was the first person to become privy to Hal Jordan’s secret life as a superhero.

Tom Kalmaku started out as the Doctor Watson to Jordan’s Sherlock Holmes. Kalmaku maintained a journal of Jordan’s adventures, and was called upon to save Jordan’s life more than once. His bravery was such that the Guardians of the Universe offered Tom Kalmaku a Power Ring of his own. He modestly declined.

Hal Jordan and Tom Kalmaku in JLA Year One
(Image Source: DC / Barry Kitson)

Years later, Tom Kalmaku was one of several people empowered by the Guardians of the Universe to form the New Guardians. He was given the power to bring out the best in people – an ability Hal Jordan would swear he already had. However, he once again rejected the offer of power, as it would have meant abandoning his wife and children.

Despite this, Kalmaku was once again chosen for greatness in 2002’s Green Lantern Legacy: The Last Will & Testament of Hal Jordan. It was here that he helped to rebuild the planet Oa, following the destruction of the Guardian homeworld. It would seem, based on the preview of Green Lantern #9, that fate has empowered Tom Kalmaku yet again.

Green Lantern #9 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 12, 2024.