Set Description:
Synopsis: This GL set is one of three sets in our collection that has won a best SA set award. It contains all 89 books with a minimum grade of 9.2, and has topped the census since 2012, although for a couple of years we kept it obscured. The set features 79 highest graded books, including 15 books that are single highest graded-down from a high of 26 books a few years ago. Of the 10 issues where we lack a highest graded example, all but two are bested by a single copy, with the other two trailing two books one grade above. No book in this set is worse than second highest graded.
Background: The first Green Lantern character, Alan Scott, was created in 1940 by Martin Nodell with scripting or co-scripting of the first stories by Bill Fingerduring the Golden Age of Comic Books and usually fought common criminals in Capitol City (and later, Gotham City) with the aid of his magic ring. For the Silver Age of Comic Books, John Broome and Gil Kane reinvented the character as Hal Jordan in 1959 and introduced the Green Lantern Corps, shifting the nature of the character from fantasy to science fiction. During the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams introduced John Stewart, a new member of the Corps who was one of DC's first black superheroes. Other notable Green Lanterns include Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz and Jo Mullein.
The Green Lanterns are among DC Comics' longest lasting sets of characters. They have been adapted to television, video games, and motion pictures.
Our Collection: Unlike many sets where we rank #1, because the top collections are not registered, I think it is safe to say that this is the greatest collection of SA Green Lantern books in existence containing copies of every single issue, including 61 9.8s and 15 single highest graded issues.
We really jumpstarted this set back in 2011 when CL auctioned off what was up until that time the #1 registry set containing a slew of Pacific Coast pedigrees.
During 2019, we were lucky enough to add 7 single highest graded books through a private transaction with a good friend and fellow collector. But in the last five years books, 11 of the books we owned that were previously single highest graded lost that distinction, so that the total in this set has decreased to just 15.
Currently, the highlights of this set are the first four issues that are all highest graded examples, with Issues #2 and #3 holding that distinction alone.
2024 Update: As I try to do each year before making my sets public, I went through the descriptions of each book to check for census changes. One thing that struck me is that there have been several high grade books in this title that have emerged from CGC in recent years, but I have not seen any of those books on the market, which is rather strange. They are also nowhere to be found in the Registry. I’ve got nothing as far as an explanation, but it is unusual.
Current Stats:
89/89 Books
61 9.8s-All Highest Graded
20 9.6s-17 Highest Graded
5 9.4s-1 Highest Graded
3 9.2s
46 WP
35 OW/W
8 OW
15 Single Highest Graded
79 Highest Graded
10 Second Highest Graded
34 Pedigrees
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